Comings & Goings: Racing Board to Consider OTB for Orland Hills; Fudgi Island Cookie Crumbles

Updated, 4:25 p.m. with new Sears opening date.

Soon, you can place your off-track bets in .

The Illinois Racing Board is expected to approve a license next week for Arlington Park to open an off-track betting parlor in the former Hertz lot at 9201 W. 159th St., officials said.

“The site totally fits the parameters for an OTB license by the Illinois Racing Board,” said Orland Hills Village Administrator John Daly. “I don’t see how the license couldn’t be approved.”

The village has been talking about the plan for the past decade and Daly said trustees, "have long embraced to opportunity." The betting center should off-set the village's need to increase property taxes, he noted.

If given the go-ahead, the former Hertz building will be remodeled into a pub and grill operated by Sam LaRocco, who also runs an Arlington Park Trackside OTB inside his Fat Sam’s bar in Lockport.

“We plan to keep it similar to Lockport,” LaRocco said. “We’ll have a few more TVs for the horses.”

At 5,000 square feet, the Orland Hills site will be slightly smaller than the Lockport Fat Sam’s.

What will come of the Orland Park Fat Sam’s, which is just a few blocks west of the potential OTB meet-up?

“The isn’t going anywhere,” LaRocco said. “The new place will have a kitchen and draw an older crowd than Fat Sam’s with its dancing and beer garden.”

LaRocco said he’s thinking of calling the new venture Triple Crown, a horseracing term that refers to the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.

LaRocco said once the license is approved he will hit the ground running to get the establishment open.

“I’d like to be open for the Super Bowl, but I don’t think we could get it done that fast,” he said. The Super Bowl will be played the first week of February next year.

The closest OTB to Orland Hills is one operated by Inter-Track Partners—owned by the Hawthorne, Maywood and Balmoral horse tracks—in Mokena. Inter-Track also operates an OTB in Crestwood.

An OTB in left town a couple of years ago when Bud’s sports bar pulled up stakes and relocated to a western suburb.

The Illinois Racing Board will consider Arlington’s application on Dec. 20. Daly said he would attend the meeting.

Fudgi Island Cookie Crumbles

The Fudgi Island Cookie Co. recently closed at 17133 S. 88th Avenue in .

The sweet shop opened in October 2009 and sold ice cream as well as its trademark Fudgi Island cookies. The phone number has been disconnected and its website has been taken down.

In fact, the Chase Commons Retail Center where Fudgi Island was located is completely empty, a rarity even in these tough times.

Friday

The new Sears Outlet store on Harlem Avenue is expected to open at 9 a.m. Friday.

At at 16040 S. Harlem Ave., the store is near the recently relocated  in Tinley Park. The 24,000-square-foot space is the former Bally Fitness center. The store will carry its usual line of discontinued, used, scratched and dented merchandise as well as new merchandise.

Hours will be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays.

The phone number is 708-429-9428.

Names Manager

Barbara Langnes has recently been named manager of Marquette Bank’s two Orland Park locations, 9612 W. 143rd St. and .

, Mainstreet Association Holiday Party

The and are co-hosting a holiday party on Thursday.

The Dec. 15 bash will last from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at , 17147 S. Oak Park Ave. The cost is $30 per person for a five-hour open bar, dinner buffet and entertainment.

RSVP by today to info@tinleychamber.org or 708-532-5700.

Call One Grand Opening

Call One will celebrate the opening of its new office at 11524 W. 183rd St. in Orland Park with a ribbon cutting at 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 14.

If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at bob@chicago-patch.com.

You can also catch up on Comings & Goings in other parts of the Southland at www.southlandbusinessnews.blogspot.com.

If you're interested in more local happenings, check out Orland Park business news and Tinley Park business news.