Porky Better Hit the Road, Ribfest is Ready to Go

It’s not a good time to be a pig.

Ribfest kicks off Friday with 14 rib vendors ready to turn Porky into a delicious festival feasting experience.

With warm and sunny weather forecast for the weekend, officials with Ribfest are expecting large numbers of people will attend the four-day event.

Julie Lichter, the 2011 Ribfest PR and marketing chair, said that the organization anticipates that between 200,000 and 300,000 people will attend the festival.

“With four days of sunshine I really do think we could hit a good number,” she said.

The Exchange Club of Naperville hosts the event every year. The organization is dedicated to community service, youth activities and is dedicated to ending child abuse and domestic violence. The organization has raised more than $9 million over the years through its fund-raising efforts at Ribfest.

New this year at Ribfest will be the addition of America’s Chefs. All of the chefs were featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. 

The chefs will be doing cooking demonstrations on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Lichter said. They will be in a large tent in the middle of the north section of the park. And from 1 to 5 p.m. each afternoon they will be putting on a show.

There also will be a special hands-on cooking demonstration for children at 2:30 p.m. every day.

The festival is down two vendors this year to 14, but one new vendor has Lichter excited. Two Fat Guys BBQ has signed on with Ribfest.

“We are real excited to have them and I will be real interested to see if they are two fat guys,” she said.  

The festival also includes big-name musicians. This year Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers will be performing on the Fourth of July. Other bands include Illinois natives Styx and REO Speedwagon, which is always a crowd favorite, along with Montgomery Gentry, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and North Mississippi Allstars.

Along with the ribs will be such crowd-pleasing favorites as shaken lemonade, corn on the cob, funnel cake and elephant ears. If ribs aren’t to your liking there will be other offerings, including pizza. Lichter can’t wait to get some kettle corn, one of her favorites.

To quench your thirst, there will be seven beer tents this year, several more than in past years, Lichter said.

For those who come out early to Ribfest on Friday afternoon there will be some early bird specials from 12 to 4 p.m. including unlimited carnival rides, $1 hotdogs, $1 ice cream cones and ribs will be $3 off.

The family area returns again this year and will include a petting zoo, a magic show, a circus, cold-blooded creatures, face painting and more. Access to the family area is included in the price of entry. The family area is on the south side of the park, and there is a shady area nearby, making it a good spot for families, Lichter said.

One entrance has been moved. The south gates, which were normally on Martin Avenue, have been moved a little farther south, which will make access easier for people entering right off shuttles on the south side of the park.

Lichter does have advice for those planning to attend the event:

 “I would advise people to use the shuttles. To park in the remote lot and use the shuttle. Parking is challenging. We don’t have parking for 20,000 vehicles near the event.”

Ribfest will be held in Knoch Park, off of West Street, from noon to 10 p.m. Friday through Monday. Tickets are $9 in advance at Jewel or $12 at the gate. Children 11 and under get in for free. On July 4, the gates open to the public for free at 7:30 p.m. and fireworks will begin at 9:30 p.m. The fireworks are expected to last almost 30 minutes.

Patch at Ribfest

Patch.com will have a booth at Ribfest in the Expo area. Be sure to stop by and say hello during the four-day event. Representatives from Naperville Patch and other area Patch communities will be on hand passing out lots of freebies. And, be sure to enter to win an iPad.