Every May I remember the luscious wisteria that used to bloom around the front door of our home in England. In June, I remember my parents, who were married on the 20th. July will forever conjure up memories of Ribfest, the festival Napervillians either loved or hated.
As someone who definitely falls into the “loved” camp, I was sad to learn there will be no Ribfest this year and that it’s not clear if the beloved pork party will ever return.
The Exchange Club of Naperville’s highly successful fundraiser began in 1988 as a small community event. It was a real Midwest slice of Americana, where everyone enjoyed juicy ribs and listened to music over the hot Fourth of July weekend.
Sadly, it became a victim of its own success. By the time we moved here in 2007, it was already overtaking the town, gobbling up parking spots and infuriating many of the locals. You might think a plague of cicadas is bad but even they don’t fill buses and clog streets. I found the transformation of Knoch Park for the big fest fascinating. Huge rigs would bring in everything from porta potties to carnival rides as the event was set up.
But when the park underwent renovations a few years ago, it was time for the fest to move on. When the Exchange Club set up camp in the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, I was still an enthusiastic visitor but unlike all the other times I’d gone, I didn’t see one person I knew. All the usual Ribfest elements were there, but somehow they just didn’t feel the same. How could an event that benefited Naperville nonprofits put on by the Exchange Club of Naperville be held out of town? Personally, I think that’s when things started to go wrong.
So far, the Exchange Club has only said there will be no Ribfest this summer without giving a reason why. After 35 years in which they raised about $18 million for charity, they seem to have lost their way. I cannot believe that in a city the size of Naperville, we cannot find a site large enough for the event. If need be, why can’t it be scaled back to a more manageable size but still large enough to attract sizeable donations?
For me, Ribfest installed a huge amount of Naper pride. I loved seeing people come from across the country to enjoy it. I was proud of our beautiful city and couldn’t believe my luck that I lived here. It was such a great festival, I would have gladly traveled across the country to attend. But the fact that I would see just about everyone I knew there and hear shout-outs to our town from world famous rock stars who performed really made my heart swell. (Of course, that could have been the fat from the ribs but guess I’ll never know.)
Like many of you, I have many happy memories of Ribfest but maybe with some unique perspectives. As a Brit, I reveled in the Americanism of it all. As I once heard a passenger on one of the shuttle buses say in 2007: “We’re gonna get funnel cake and ice cream, then go on a ride and throw up. It’s called being an American!”
I loved so much of the music too. It was amazing to see such big stars in our own back yard. One that stands out for me is probably not the ones you’re thinking of. Growing up in England in the swinging ’60s, I loved Herman’s Hermits and its cute lead singer Peter Noone. They played Ribfest in 2009. Of course, I was thrilled when he sang their old hits but one of the most poignant moments for me was when Noone joked that when they started out, they’d dreamed of playing in Naperville one day. I never thought I’d ever see them live, let alone in a park in the American city I now call home.
Over the years I’ve enjoyed Ribfest both as a volunteer and a reporter. One of my favorite jobs was when America’s Chefs brought in popular celebrities from the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” It was a special moment when I interviewed Mike Hardin of the acclaimed San Diego burger place Hodads because, while we obviously didn’t know it at the time, he would die far too early only four years later.
Every year it was an honor to watch hundreds of volunteers come together to pull the whole thing off. The music areas were always lined with static balloons advertising the many sponsors. It’s hard to forget the lines for the porta potties. So many iconic moments.
But at the center of it all were the ribs. Ribbers came from all over the country to cook and sell their wares, and Naperville welcomed them with open arms — and mouths. Regular attendees had their favorites and couldn’t wait to drip sauce on their patriotic tees as they sunk their teeth into that first juicy, smoky bite. Ribs can be a little hit and miss in restaurants or if you make your own, but these were always perfect, with just the right amount of pull as the meat would release from the bone and melt in your mouth.
Pretty much every year there was that moment when the park had to be closed because of an impending storm. Predictably this would be followed by complaints on social media. The weather was almost always sweltering, and there was always that rush at the end as people tried to get the best spot to watch the fireworks.
For me that was perhaps the best moment of all. After all the hard work, juggling complaints, lining up for rides and picking rib meat out of my teeth, the fireworks show was the perfect release. I know we still have a fireworks display in Naperville, but there was something about having it at the end of Ribfest that made it even more special.
I really hope the Exchange Club can find a way to bring Ribfest back. Or if not them, another organization perhaps. For so many of us, it marked the pinnacle of summer and I, for one, am not ready to say goodbye just yet.
Hilary Decent is a freelance journalist who moved from England to Naperville in 2007. She can be reached at hilarydecent@gmail.com.
