30,000 Take To Tinley's RibFest, Debut Event A Hot Hit: Village

TINLEY PARK, IL — Tinley Park officials are stuffed, sunburned and celebrating after what they're calling the seamless, sizzling debut of the Village's first-ever RibFest.

The July 1–4 event featured ribs, live music, carnival rides and family fun. Mayor Mike Glotz called it a success, citing attendance of 30,000 over the four-day span.

"If you came out this weekend to the four-day Tinley Park Ribfest, I don’t have to tell you how much fun it was—you saw it firsthand!" Glotz told Patch. "I was there all four days, and everyone I talked to really loved it. A little rain on Sunday and a scorcher on Tuesday didn’t keep the crowds away either, as we estimate over 30,000 people showed up for all the family-friendly fun."

Festgoers chowed down on ribs from seven restaurants, also taking in shows from tribute bands with tunes from ZZ Top, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Lynyrd Skynyrd for the cost of entry.

"The highlight of the weekend had to be Revisiting Creedence, which rocked the house with only the best Creedence Clearwater Revival songs," Glotz said.

The ribs, Glotz said, "were definitely the star of the show."

"They were so good that I personally tried ribs from nearly every vendor!" Glotz added.

Any security concerns didn't deter people, Village Manager Pat Carr said. The Village prepped significantly for the event, Carr said, enhancing security measures after a chaotic scene unfolded in May, when hundreds of teens swarmed a carnival and created chaos at a Tinley Park carnival.

The Village moved forward with the July event, beefing up local police presence with outside armed security guards. All guests went through metal detectors and had their bags searched.

"Definitely the months of planning really paid off for us and the community," Carr said. "It was a very safe event, very fun event. We couldn’t have asked for anything better."

Carr said the fest, organized by Event Wiz, drew visitors from Tinley Park and surrounding towns. The fest culminated in a fireworks show July 4, with the display originating at the fire department training tower. Entry was $10 each day in advance, or $15 at the gate. Entry for Tinley Park residents was free July 4 with proof of residency.

"What was great about it, it was people from other communities that came in to visit Tinley Park," he said. "It was a very diverse crowd. Everyone was welcoming, they couldn’t say anything but great things about the first-time event, and they look forward to next year's."

Glotz tipped his hat to Village staff, police, fire, and EMA, as well as public works and marketing departments.

"All in all it was a great event," Glotz told Patch."Everyone came together to ensure families could enjoy a fun, safe event with no issues."