When Washington Park Racetrack opened in Homewood in 1926, it was a premiere venue for thoroughbred racing in the Midwest and a popular destination for the region’s sports and social scene.
Horseracing was hot, and Washington Park was just one of 15 large racetracks (including Arlington Park) built in that decade.

Fifty years later, interest in the sport was on the decline and the public’s entertainment preferences had pivoted to television, movies, football, baseball, and live concerts featuring the top musical artists of the day.

In a bold — and controversial — move as track attendance declined, Washington Park management executed a huge repurposing of the property.

In the July 14, 1974, issue of Star publications, writer Mark Golub reported that 50 citizens attended the July 9 Homewood Village Board meeting expressing their concerns that holding concerts at Washington Park would attract drug users and hippies, create too much noise and bring too much traffic.

The debate went on for months but the result was that on June 28, 1975, “The Summer of Stars,” debuted when Tony Orlando and Dawn stepped into the spotlight and onto a stage set up in front of the grandstand.

Just like that, Washington Park — and Homewood — were defined as a major concert destination.
Its biggest concert was Aug. 9, 1975, when the Eagles attracted a crowd of more than 20,000 music fans.

Homewood Historical President Robert L. (Bob) Anderson was one of the concertgoers of the day: “I saw Blood, Sweat, and Tears, but they were just the opening act for Roberta Flack, who is why I really was there. Twenty minutes into her act, a big storm came up and everyone had to leave the park.”

Flossmoor resident Jerry Goldstein, who was a Homewood resident when Washington Park concerts debuted, said he attended several concerts there, including Blood, Sweat, and Tears.

“Sure, I went to them,” he said when asked if he had attended any of the concerts. “I saw Blood, Sweat, and Tears, Fleetwood Mac, whatever band it was that performed ‘Proud Mary’ and others. The South Suburbs were just so much fun then,” he said.

The park’s first concert season hosted just six concerts in 1975, and its second season put on 10 in 1976.
Management had big plans for enhanced future concert seasons, but those plans and horseracing in Homewood went up in smoke along with Washington Park the night of Feb. 5, 1977.

In the years following the fire, the land was redeveloped as a business park and retail center, and a plaque memorializing the park and its history now stands at Maple Avenue and Presidents Drive.