Perhaps the best way to describe Steve Roach, an usher known for his antics at Dozer Park and the Peoria Civic Center, is to recall a photograph taken in July 2018.
Roach is hunched over, holding a young Peoria Chiefs fan by the ankles as the boy reaches over two rows ofseats at Dozer Park for a foul ball. Fans applaud at the sight of two die-hard fans, one early in his baseball-loving career, and one doing everything he can to pass on his passion to the next generation.
A Peoria native and 1971 graduate of Bradley University, Roach ushered his first events while in a service fraternity at Bradley. After his retirement from B.F. Goodrich in 2003, Roach decided to apply for ushering duties at Dozer Park and the Civic Center.
“I was a young guy and needed some more things to do,” said Roach. “I enjoy being with people quite a lot, and it all worked out for me pretty well. I started in the summer of ‘03 with the Chiefs and in the winter of ‘04 at the Peoria Civic Center.”
Roach is now somewhat of a local icon. People ask to be seated in his section, and if you don’t know him by name, you’ll probably recognize him by the jogs up and down the stairs or top-of-dugout dances.
“He is just a ball of fun,” said Jason Mott, General Manager of the Peoria Chiefs. “He definitely brings a lot ofjoy to the game. Everybody does a great job, I just wish everybody had that young-kid-at-heart energy he brings every night.”
Roach loves what he does, but right now, his job has been put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Withhis duties as an usher on pause, he has spent time volunteering and “watching too much television” with sights set on returning as soon as possible.
“I’m very much looking forward to the day when they’ll allow me to come back and work my positions,” said Roach. “In the meantime, I've been doing some volunteer work with Harvest Foods, through my church and [with] the Midwest Food Bank, but [I’m] really looking forward to getting back to work.”
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the future of Peoria’s largest venues has been volatile, highlighted bythe financial struggles encountered at the Peoria Civic Center. Behind a $4 million boost from the Peoria City Council, the 100,000 square foot complex will be able to survive until reopening is possible.
“We have a very skeleton staff that is still booking the building in the fall,” said Rik Edgar, General Manager of the Peoria Civic Center. “The money we got extended to us has allowed us to pay our bills on time and to haveus in a position where we’ll be able to hit the ground running once we are able to host events like we normally do.”
Roach dealt with tough questions from friends in the community following the announcement of the Civic Center funding, primarily because the same City Council meeting also resulted in the elimination of two engines at the Peoria Fire Department.
“I tried to paint a picture [of] the good the Civic Center does for our city. It helps our restaurants and our hotels and motels in the area,” Roach said. “We really need the Peoria Civic Center to exist, and I think most people would agree.”
While the Civic Center might not have work for its staff at the moment, Edgar emphasizes the importance of ushers and the venue’s dedication to getting them back in action.
“They’re the first impression you get of the venue,” said Edgar. “Unfortunately, during the times we’re living in,we just don’t have work for [our employees] right now. We hope to have them back as soon as we can, but it’s beyond our control at this time.”
For now, Roach is taking it day by day, holding out hope that a vaccine will allow events to resume earlier than expected. Out of everything he’s been able to work on, he’s most excited to get back to live music—country in particular.
“It’s dark and the music is blaring, but those are good memories,” said Roach. “You’re finding people in the wrong seats, you’re trying to fix problems, you’re cleaning up beer spills—but all in all, when the night is over at 11, 12, or 1:00 in the morning, you get home and [you think] ‘Man, that was a blast.’”
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