By Sean Copeland

BLOOMINGTON- Owner Rory O’Connor of the Castle Theatre assures fans of the Bloomington venue, they will not be forgotten in light of his newly acquired Peoria venue.

“We wouldn’t try to do anything that would harm the castle, we actually think that it may strengthen our position in our business. As far as the Castle goes, I’ve already got a few projects in mind, that we hope to execute this year,” said O’Connor.

O’Connor purchased the rival Limelight Eventplex on the north side of Peoria, after learning the current owners were retiring from the business.

“After thinking about it and thinking about the Peoria market, and the viability of the room over there; we decided that maybe we should take a run at it. For the last four years, y’know both rooms have shown that they can attract audiences, they can coexist together, so why not control both of those,” said O’Connor.

The newly christened Monarch Music Hall, will reopen in March 2018, not just under a new name, but also with a major upgrade to their current sound system.

The Limelight’s last show under the current ownership will be their New Year’s Eve show with the Way Down Wanderers.

Sean Copeland can be reached at [email protected].