Two dozen Rockford-area civic leaders, Hard Rock executives and Seminole Tribe of Florida leaders — owners of Hard Rock International — lifted guitars high above their heads and smashed them to pieces Thursday to celebrate the opening of Hard Rock Casino Rockford.
Pyrotechnics showered the 1,600-seat Hard Rock Live stage in sparks as the invite-only crowd cheered.
After a dozen years of planning and about two years of construction, the 175,000-square-foot Hard Rock Casino Rockford opened for business.
“Ninety percent of our investor group has local roots — no private equity,” said Dan Fischer, chief investor of 815 Entertainment, the local company that brought Hard Rock to Rockford. “When you look at this place, it was built with people who put in real money.”
Music lovers need not worry. The guitars were merely props. But the signature “guitar smash” ceremony marked a day Rockford has long awaited.
Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen, Hard Rock Casino Rockford President Geno Iafrate, Hard Rock International COO John Lucas, Winnebago County Board Chairman Joe Chiarelli, Ringland-Johnson Construction President Brent Johnson, and Seminole Tribe council members were among those who spoke at the event. Rockford native and Houston Rocket point guard Fred Van Vleet was there.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said he was proud the Rockford casino opened before one could open across the border in Wisconsin. Hard Rock already created 1,200 construction jobs and 900 permanent jobs, Pritzker said, but hundreds more could be created when a hotel is built on the site within a few years.
“Already this casino is paying dividends for this region,” Pritzker said. “Since opening the temporary facility here in 2021, the Hard Rock has generated nearly $40 million in state and local revenue, much of which comes from visitors to the region, from outside the region who are enjoying themselves while contributing revenue that helps alleviate the burden on Rockford and Winnebago County taxpayers.”
Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara said his goal was for all of Rockford to benefit from the casino. Casino revenue is funding Rockford Promise scholarships, allowing 415 Rockford Public School students to attend Northern Illinois University tuition free, changing the course of their lives and the lives of their families.
“Up next, we are going to be investing in our distressed neighborhoods, we are going to continue the hard work of becoming fiscally stronger and invest in our infrastructure and our community’s safety,” McNamara said.
Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached at (815) 987-1374, via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on X @jeffkolkey.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Hard Rock Casino Rockford opens with guitar smash celebration