Ribs!

In Naperville, Illinois, just a few miles from Chicago, at Naperville Ribfest 2009 — it’s on! The festival starts today. While the Naperville Ribfest is, indeed, an excellent place to eat all kinds of delicious ribs, it’s more than that.

The Daily Herald in Chicago says Naperville Ribfest 2009 will be a “friendly but intense competition.” The Daily Herald says:

Seventeen ribbers will face off Saturday hoping to snag one of two titles – best ribs or best sauce. They’ll be judged based on taste, tenderness and appearance.

The ghost of ribfests past

Last  year Sweet Baby Ray’s took home the title for best ribs, and Smokin’ Joe’s Hog Wild Barbeque won best sauce. Sweet Baby Ray’s also won second place for sauce, so they are a contender to watch. Joe Henderson from Smokin’ Joe’s is also back this year.

Winning Ribfest has meant plenty of extra business for Sweet Baby Ray’s, kind of like getting instant cash loans in the form of extra customers.

Ribs for a good cause

The Naperville Exchange Club has been holding its rib competition and festival during the same time as Taste of Chicago for years — and for good reason. Taste of Chicago is the largest outdoor food festival in the world, and it draws millions from all over the country.

The more people that attend Naperville Ribfest 2009, the better. Naperville Ribfest 2009 will raise money for child abuse and domestic violence prevention. Every year the Naperville Exchange Club chooses a charity to benefit.

Don’t forget the music!

Naperville Ribfest 2009 also has a pretty impressive lineup of musical performances. Blue Oyster Cult, Sara Evans and Huey Lewis & The News are just a few of the musical artists who will perform at Naperville Ribfest 2009. The four-day festival begins today and ends Sunday.

Admission is $10 and Naperville Ribfest 2009 is a Knoch Park in Naperville, Ill. The park is open from noon to 10 p.m. July 2 to July 5. The park is free and open to the public after 7 p.m. on the Fourth of July for fireworks displays.

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