Jewel-Osco has been a Chicagoland staple since 1899—when Frank Ross and Frank Skiff started the Jewel Tea Company with $700, a rented horse, and a secondhand wagon, selling tea and coffee door-to-door.
The history of Jewel-Osco
The routemen came by every two weeks, and the traveling Jewel salesman became a familiar face as the company built out hundreds of routes nationwide.
By the 1930s, the wagons were out. Jewel launched Jewel Food Stores in 1932 after buying a grocery business, then merged it with Jewel Tea in 1934. By the early ’40s, you could order from a catalog and have your goods show up by mail.
Then came 1961: Jewel bought Osco Drug, eventually bringing groceries and pharmacy together under one roof at the Jewel-Osco stores we all know.
Now, 127 years after that first horse-drawn wagon rolled out, the grocery empire has grown to 184 stores across Illinois—most of them right here in Chicagoland.
And for this weekend, they are trading the stocked shelves for haunted halls—with a free Halloween bash in Chicagoland.
Jewel-Osco is hosting a haunted bash this weekend only
Jewel-Osco’s FANG-TASTIC Halloween Bash is taking over The Dome at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex this Saturday and Sunday, and admission is completely free.
What to expect from FANG-TASTIC Halloween Bash
This isn’t your candy-corn-and-cute-costumes kind of Halloween. Jewel-Osco is leaning into the season’s spooky side with creepy decor, unexpected scares, and eerie installations throughout The Dome.
Expect:
- A Monster Mash dance party
- Silent screenings of classic horror films
- Plenty of Halloween photo ops
- Visits from JoJo, Jewel-Osco’s mascot, all weekend long
Who it’s for
Leave the littlest ghouls at home. The experience is billed as PG-13, and organizers recommend it for ages 13 and up. Parents and guardians should use their own judgment on whether it’s a fit for younger kids.
When and where
- When: Saturday, October 17, from 4 to 9 p.m.; Sunday, October 18, from noon to 5 p.m.
- Where: The Dome at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex, 34 Jennie Finch Way, Rosemont
- Cost: Free admission; concessions available for purchase through The Dome
- Parking: Parking next to The Dome is free. The Parkway Bank Park garage is free with validation from any Parkway Bank Park venue; without validation, it’s $20 per 24-hour period. Accessible parking is on the garage’s ground floor.
The bash is part of Jewel-Osco’s year of free community events, backed by brands including Butterball, Chobani, Dutch Farms, Frito-Lay, General Mills, Johnsonville, Cheez-It, Coffee-Mate, Procter & Gamble, Pepsi, Perdue, Home Run Inn, Quaker, and Smithfield.
Find more details on the official event website
