Tell us about your Ribfest experience

In my humble opinion this festival has gotten out of control. Twenty years ago it was a nice event community event. Instead of having something nice for the community it is now a not so nice event for the greater metro area.

Yeah, not so nice means at 10PM tonight I drove down West street and it was quite a spectacle watching way more than a few people who had obviously had WAY too much to drink stumble across the street on the way to their cars. Yes, in fine Naperville style let's relieve the visitors of as much cash as possible, full them full of beer, and then turn them loose on the streets for their ride home. I wonder how many DUI's this weekend will have been served at Ribfest?

What was once supposed to be a nice fund raising event for a good cause has now turned into a money grab by everyone associated with it. There is a lot of cash changing hands under the counter to the extent which causes me to wonder... what is the total collected, what are the total expenses, and how much actually goes to a worthy cause? I'd like to know exactly what percent of the gross revenue is actually donated to anyone. The expenses have got to be horrific; everyone and anyone has their hand out on this event to the extent that it just turns my stomach.

I would honestly be surprised if more than 30% of the gross revenue actually ends up going to a good cause. And if that is the case I think we all should wonder why the city encourages what has become nothing more than crass commercialism to pass off as fund raising esp considering the all the time it takes city staff, the extent of direct and collateral damage to city property, and the infrastructure needs to continue to support this year after year.

How do you know that the drunks were from out of town? Did they have like some kind of village sticker affixed to them? Get real, I am sure there are just as many Napervillians enjoying a few too many beers as there are outsiders.

There is a way to stop those pesky outsiders from coming to our town and spending money, put checkpoints at all the major points of entry to Naperville and turn away any foreigner, especially if they come from a town of lesser social status than Naperville. Of course, if they are here to mow your lawn, or provide other services they would be granted a work visa, but aside from that, we don't need any riff raff here spending money, especially for a good cause.

*** The above is posted as sarcasm. I know some here are slow and don't catch on to humor, so I figured I would put a disclaimer in.***

After reading on this Blog Site, about how some of my sales tax through a cultural fund is sipohned into this charity and then through a scam, it is paid to the Naperville Police in OVERTIME, my family and I decided to BOYCOTT the Ribfest this year! We will also BOYCOTT the Last Fling.

As far as I am concerned it is enriching the Naperville Police Fund at taxpayer expense.

At a starting salary of nearly $60,000 plus full benefits including 75% of final day salary for retirement pension for life, I feel the Naperville Police could have donated there services to this charity.

Hundreds of other Napervillians donate their services so it seems odd and inappropriate that our public servants feel a need to charge OVERTIME at taxpayer expense to a Charity Event attended mostly by out of towners!

Since 4th of July is a paid vacation for Naperville's finest, they are most probably collecting 2.5 times their regular pay while working these charity events. A senior officer may be collecting over $1500 dollars for a 12 hour shift walking and observing these charity fests. How many Napervillians can even make that kind of money in a full week?

If you feel your taxes are high, well you know part of the reason!

Have a good 4th of July!

Reply from Ted:

We've been over this before. You know that your tax dollars are not paying for police overtime for these events, right? That organizations have to pay the city for the privilege of having police there, right? And how that revenue goes into the city fund and not the police departments. The chief has said so. We did a big story on this in the Naperville Sun, remember? Many commenters on here were clamoring for one, just like with the pension issue, so we looked into it and did a story. It turns out, it wasn't what people thought, it wasn't what they wanted to hear, but it's the true situation. I mean, maybe you haven't been following this issue very long, but it's wrong to characterize it as saying your tax dollars are paying for police to work Ribfest. It's just flat-out wrong. It's misleading and ill-informed.

$100,000 in Overtime, if you are going to bring turn yet another thread into bashing the police, their pay, and their pensions, why don't you at least tell the truth?

The truth is that the city requires Naperville police to patrol this and any other major event to protect themselves from lawsuits. The truth is that the city council decided to donate $100,000 out of the cultural fund to a charity, not the police force. The truth is that the charity used that donation, or part of it, the details are not clear, to pay for the required security. The truth is that the city does not reimburse the police budget with these paybacks, they put it in the general fund (As does Aurora, since so many like to use them as a shining example of how a city should be run>). The truth is that the only involvement the police have is a event they are required to supply security for and have to use officers on overtime so regularly scheduled patrols are not abandoned. The truth is that the city council is doing the questionable money transfer, has publicly acknowledged it, and should bear the brunt of any criticism.

On the subject of Ribfest, I have to agree that it has gotten to big. Events like Ribfest and Lisle's Eyes to the Skies were better at a smaller level, but just become a pain in the butt when they get so big. I tend to stay away from the crowds and the drunks, even if there are good bands playing there.

This Ribfest is a disaster. Running REO filled the park and people could not get in to get food before fireworks. Virtually no toilets on the outside once the inside was closed off. Moving the free entry (moot point) to 8PM. A venue that is so small compared to the event size that you cannot even move around. No more Ribfest for me.

Ribfest is a scam and a joke. We drive out 40 miles to come to this supposed great festival, only to be turned away at 6:45pm on July 4th because an outdoor festival is filled to capacity? On top of that, as we waited there for official word of what was going on, about 1000 people left the festival...and they were still filled to capacity??? Even worse - the organizers expect us to drive back the next day to use our tickets - they won't even refund the money back!!! So now I have to spend an additional $20 in gas to get there and back to go to an overpriced, poorly organized festival? If I wanted that I could have gone to taste of Chicago...BOYCOTT RIBFEST - IT'S A SCAM!!!!

I'm still in awe over the people that attend these events. The teenagers who unkempt, wearing baggy jean shorts, tattoos with flashing cell phones.

The young ladies wear clothing that is so inappropriate for public, it's ridiculous.

I went for three hours on Friday and I can say that while the food was great, I'm not overly impressed with this fest as opposed to three-four years ago.

There are simply too many people, too people who don't care for our town by publicly urinating, too many drunks from out of town.

Naperville is really turning into a wasteland.

I DECIDED TO BOYCOTT RIBFEST AFTER I HEARD ABOUT THE POLICE SCAM.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT HOST TED WAS SAYING TO "By $100,000 in OVERTIME to NAPERVILLE POLICE" BUT I UNDERSTOOD AS HE DID IT" BUT I UNDERSTOOD IT THE SAME WAY.

I UNDERSTOOD IT AS MONEY COMING FROM THE CULTURAL FUND TO PAY FOR POLICE OVERTIME. WHETHER IT ENDED IN THE GENERAL FUND OR POLICE FUND IN THE END DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY THE POLICE WERE PAID THIS 100K OUT OF CULURAL TAXPAYPER MONEY COLLECTED IN THE FORM OF A SALES TAX.

IF RIBFEST WANTS TO PAY OVERTIME TO NAPERVILLE POLICE THAT IS THERE PEROGATIVE TO WASTE THIS KIND OF MONEY INSTEAD OF HIRING FREE LANCE COPS FROM OTHER TOWNS FOR ONE THIRD OF THE PRICE.

I UNDERSTAND RIBFEST MADE 800K LAST YEAR SO THEY SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THE 100K FROM THE 800K TO TRULY PAY FOR THIS POLICE OVERTIME.IT IS NO LONGER A LOCAL EVENT AS IT ATTRACTS PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER CHICAGOLAND

ANYWAY, I DECIDED TO GO TO ARIZONA AND I AM WRITING FROM ARIZONA WHERE EVERYTHING IS SO MUCH CHEAPER THAN IN NAPERVILLE ESPECAILLY REAL ESTATE TAXES.

SORRY MAYOR, BUT I NEEDED TO GET AWAY FROM NAPERVILLE FOR SOME TIME. I WILL BE BACK THOUGH!

I AM NOT YELLING AT ANYBODY WITH MY CAPITALS. MY CAPITAL LOCK IS BROKEN IN THE LOCK POSITION.

HA! You really don't want to hear my comments Naperville, its all negative and I won't go again!!!

We have lived in Naperville for over 10 years and have enjoyed attending ribfest over the July 4th holiday. The past two years the attendance has certainly overgrown the facilities. They closed the park July 4th due to capacity. They probably should have closed the doors around 4 or 5pm. The walkways were full and the ability to navigate through the park was nearly impossible without having to jump over people. People were camped out in front of the food vendors, and people tempers were flaring due to the lack of walkways to navigate through the seating areas. The bus situation at the end of the evening was the worst I can ever remember. I saw adults (mothers and fathers with children) shove, punch, threat and use explicit language that would have gotten there children suspended from their Naperville Schools so out of control that I was ashamed to even admit that I lived in this city. Perhaps they should have volunteers at the bus locations with signs for the perspective stops written on them and queue people properly so they don't threaten and shove each other so violently. The police, drivers just wanted the crowds in the buses and appeared to feel that this was the norm due to crowd size. There really needs to be more communication from the schools lots were 500 or so cars are parked to the venue as to determine the number of shuttles needed for each shuttle stop. If its too big move it or lose it. Its turning into a mess and making people very ugly.

We were supposed to get VIP tickets from a business we patronize but when it came time to pick up our tickets they said there was a problem with the VIP tickets -- Ribfest organizers said some of them had been "compromised". What happened?

We've been to Ribfest many times over the years, but last night's was one of the best. We've always thought it to be a pretty good deal. For the price of an $8 prepaid ticket, you can have a great evening of seeing a band like REO or the Doobie Brothers perform and have a perfect seat to the fireworks. But we've been to Ribfest enough times to know how to prepare for it.

We bring folding canvas chairs and small sun umbrellas. We also bring a small backpack with sun screen, bug spray, wet wipes, rain ponchos, band aids, activity books or a travel game for the kids, a few water bottles, etc. (I thought there was a possibility security would not let us take the water bottles in, but they did let us keep them!) We buy tickets in advance at the reduced price and bring enough cash so we don't have to use the on-site ATMs, which charge a hefty usage fee.

And we arrive between 3:30 and 4:30, early enough to get a spot for the concert, have ribs and let the kids do a ride or activity or two. We know we can't arrive shortly before concert time without running the risk that we may not be able to get in. Ribfest sells open admission tickets, not concert seats, so it's first come, first served. We were at Disney World in Orlando around the 4th one year when the same thing happened. The park reached capacity by late afternoon so those coming later were turned away, even if they had purchased day passes in advance. We had arrived around 10 that morning to beat the crowd. This isn't a sign of bad planning on the organizers part, just a popular event!

The weather was perfect, REO was in excellent form, and the simulcast firework show was great. But every Ribfest has its glitches, and here were yesterday's two that we saw:

I heard yesterday's attendance set a record, and yes, it was very crowded, making it difficult to get between the concert and food/bathroom areas. However, this was made worse by a bunch of folks who, unable to find spots in the concert area, set up their chairs in walkway lanes. I was astounded; these people sat there directly in the path of walkers and complained that people we bumping into them. Eventually the orange-shirted security folks showed up and got them to move, but as soon as security left they set their chairs up again. Unbelievable. I saw a lot of oranged-shirted teen-age volunteers running around the area in packs, laughing and having a great time. Someone in charge should have sent these security volunteers to stay in the concert area to keep people from blocking the aisles.

The second glitch involved busing for the Neuqua parkers. For some reason there were what looked like to be hundreds more people waiting for Neuqua buses than other areas. All the available buses loaded up and left, and the folks taking buses to Lincoln, Thayer, Scott, etc., were long gone while we waited with tons of other Neuqua people. We stood for over 1/2 hour without a single bus in sight, Neuqua or otherwise, so feeling we were stranded, we began calling friends to see if someone was available to come and get us. No luck, and we weren't the only ones. Security stayed with us, tho, and apparently got the message to the buses that they needed to return. Eventually four Neuqua buses showed up (to much cheering from the crowd), in addition to six or more buses from the other areas. One hour and 15 minutes after getting in line for a bus, we were able to board a bus that went to Naperville North first and then to Neuqua. So in all we finally got home 1 hour and 45 minutes after the fireworks ended! Now THAT was bad planning. It wasn't disasterous, but it was irritating. I didn't see any of the bad behavior--shoving, fighting, etc.--that was reported by other bloggers, but since it was a big crowd that was waiting, it could have happened elsewhere. We may park and ride in from a different area next time, but we will go again!

An aside to Anonymous on July 4, 2008 10:58 PM--there were porta pottys available outside the venue area. There were two where folks had to wait for buses. I know, I used one while we were waiting!

DISABLED PEOPLE SLAPPED IN THE FACE BY NAPERVILLE RIB FEST
by Dan Bowers

After hearing about the bad reviews, the violence, and the lack of entertainment we were interested in at this year’s Taste of Chicago, My wife and I decided to try something different this year. We looked at the possibilities and figured that the Naperville Rib Fest would be a good alternative to The Taste of Chicago. We investigated the entertainment and mapped out a plan to go and see some of the artists that we felt we would enjoy.

Let me set up the scene before I tell you our first hand story about our Rib Fest experience. I grew up in Downers Grove and lived here most of my life; I moved away for a few years to follow a job and met my beautiful wife in 2003 while living away from Chicagoland. A native of Wyoming, my wife lived the majority of her life between the Western slopes of Colorado and Central Florida. In 1997, while living just outside Rifle, Colorado my wife was involved in a tragic accident which took the life of her 2 year old daughter and left her paralyzed from the waist down. Learning to live as a paraplegic while dealing of the death of her daughter was a struggle at first, but she is a strong soul, in which she gives credit to her American Indian roots. We struggled to find areas that had a combination of good health care as well as handicap accessibility so she can remain independent. In 2006 we decided to move to Chicagoland in which we have now made our permanent home due to the quality of health care and the accessibility to the majority of the area.

On Friday July 4th, we woke up and made plans to attend the REO Speedwagon concert which started at 7:30pm. We made it to Naperville around 4:00pm and quickly began to realize that whatever was going on here was extremely unorganized. We found 1 handicap parking place out of 3 in a public parking lot located between the Bell Tower and Naperville Central High School. We parked and made our way towards the Rib Fest entrance. As we made our way with the mass movement of people towards the grounds I could not’t help but notice an entire parking lot reserved for motorcycle parking. If there was a parking lot reserved for the handicap, there where sure no directions, nor was their anyone available to help us find it.

With no signs directing you on how to get tickets, a literal free for all on lines, and the obvious lack of organization, I left my wife in line to go explore and get the lay of the land. This little white tent next to an ATM machine is where I was led to by other patrons of the fest. This is where I was told I could buy my entrance tickets. Nowhere were there any fest workers to help or any signs to lead people. I obtained tickets and began to realize once we got to the front gates that there was an 8 inch curb in which my wife could not make it over, at that time I began to search out some real help and finally after an exhausting search found two high school aged kids that were standing around talking to one another wearing shirts reading "RIB FEST SECURITY" I asked where the handicap entrance was in which the lead me to a gravel ramp that I had to assist my wife with anyway as her small front caster wheels kept getting caught on the stones.

Once we were inside we wandered aimlessly trying to figure out the lay of the land. We began to ask other fest patrons if they knew what stage was the main stage and quickly found out they were as lost as we were. After about 20 minutes while pulling my wife through the bumpy grass field we figured out which way we needed to go. With great struggle we made it over to the main stage area and finally found another one of the High School aged security people. I asked them where seating for wheelchairs was located and they pointed to an area way over to stage right. When we arrived at the area there was no security to keep non-handicap out and the area. The handicap area was shape like a piece of pie measuring 15ft wide by 25ft deep surrounded by a five foot high orange snow fence and a giant handicap porta-potty taking up a big chunk of the middle. To top it all off there was a camera boom moving up and down and the view of the stage was very obstructed by its constant movement. We were placed directly near a tower of speakers and directly under the giant screen Monitor projecting images to the area way in back of us. The main stage area about 200 yards wide by 400 yards deep and this was the only area that they felt they needed to provide for the areas disabled and less fortunate. Mind you a manual wheel chair takes up the space of 2 standing people and an electric can take up as much room as 3 or 4 standing people. With handicap people come their families as they should all be encouraged to sit together as this is a family event not to mention some of these people have care givers and assistants to help them with their needs and to make them more comfortable.

At about 5:30pm a sign language interpreter came to set herself up. There was a little stage provided to elevate her and it had been pushed way into an inaccessible corner. The deaf patrons were unable to get into the handicap area as it was full of people in wheelchairs and they were steaming with anger over their inability to enjoy the festivities. The interpreter’s hands were tied, and after learning that the deaf people needing her assistance had left because of sheer frustration, she also packed up and left. As it drew closer to 7:30pm the area became unbelievably packed. The estimated attendance was above 40,000 people just in the main stage area. The security and crowd control had totally lost control of the entire main stage grounds as they were ill prepared to deal with this many people, the majority drinking beer one after another. People were blocking the lined off emergency exits and pathways, they were pushing their way into the handicap area and blocking the entrance to the handicap area. The Naperville police hired to assist the security were nowhere to be found. After a long search I tracked one down, he said there was not much he could do and he turned around and resumed his conversation with the little cute underage girl that had attracted his attention.

Back in the handicap area I was able to get the attention of some fest management. I asked them why the handicap area was so small. Other patrons that had attended in previous years were also asking why it had been down sized mentioning to me that it was probably 4 times smaller than previous years. There answer fest management gave was unbelievable. The 2 red shirts replied with separate comments, The Gentleman that would not give his name said, “This is all new to them and they are trying to figure out how to do it.” Then the young lady next to him who also would not’t give her name spoke up and said, “This is all for the kids and they did not’t really consider the needs of others.” I informed them both of them of three things;
1. To my knowledge Rib Fest is not new, It has been around since I graduated High School in 1987, giving them 20+ years of knowledge in how to correctly prepare for this event.
2. The second largest city in the United States, Chicago, is 35 miles away, and the mayor has offered up there know how to any city or organization that is putting on a large festival to help them stay away from issues while giving them advice on how to have a successful festival. There advice and expertise includes; food and sanitation, crowd control, and since the City of Chicago has been sued and lost to a single handicap individual regarding accessibility issues, they can now offer with great confidence there solutions to handicap problems that may arise.
3. This is an accident and a law suit waiting to happen which would greatly diminish the impact in which you are trying to make for the organization in which you have committed to raise money for. No one is too big or out of reach for a class action law suit to put a stop to future festivals operated by your organization.
After be confronted by many of the handicap people in the area and listening to my comments, the two officials wondered off never to be seen again.
As the show went on the handicap area became inundated with non-handicap people pushing their way into the area. The security and fest management disappeared and refused to assist the patrolling within the handicap area. Non-handicap people were lining up for the porta-potty as the other porta-potties had lines greater than 20 people deep. Now Handicap people where having to wait for able-body people to use the porta-potty provided for the handicap.

All in all this is the first and last time I will be going to Rib Fest and my hope is that this is the last Rib Fest to be held due to litigation that will indefinitely prevent these “Carnival Flunk Outs” from ever operating something that deals with anything over 20 people in their own back yards. I am able bodied and am appalled that any organization would treat one group of people with such disrespect.

To join or support this class action lawsuit against the Rib Fest management and City of Naperville, or if you have encountered similar issues that deserve investigation, please email us at RibFestClassAction@gmail.com. You do not have to be handicap nor did you need to have been in attendence at the Naperville Rib Fest to show your support for the Disabled People in the United States. This is a real problem and disable people should be able to live just as productive and independent lives as able bodied people. Please join our voice for equality for all.

Anyone who went to this event expecting that there would be ample space to park, friendly Napervillians in attendance, inexpensive food prices and a good time had by all is an idiot. I haven't lived in Naperville for more than two years but long before I moved here (from elsewhere in DuPage county) I knew to stay far, far away from Ribfest.

I don't even like to go to downtown Naperville on a normal Tuesday afternoon because it's such a freakin' zoo. Did you all honestly think that this event would be any different?

After driving over an hour to get to this event on the 4th of July, waiting in line for 40 minutes to get on the shuttle bus and finally arriving at this poorly organized "fest",waiting in another line to get tickets and then being told that no more tickets were being sold as they were at capacity. There were absolutely no signs guiding anyone once we got off the bus, after asking other patrons in line we were directed to the "ticket line" which we were told that after the ticket line we must get in another line that was ridiculously long. There was a line at the time of people that actually had purchased tickets ahead of time blocks long!! We had to then get back on the bus and go home. Not to even mention the $20 in gas to waste over 4 hours of our time. I have been going to the Ribfest for years however I will never be attending again and will encourage others not to also.

I make better BBQ pork baby back ribs at less than half the price. Most everyone was selling the cheap crap spare ribs which are even less than half the price of baby backs and not even anywhere near as good. Blech. What an over hyped joke.

To Dan Bowers on July 6, 2008 8:57 AM--

I was very disappointed to see your blog advocating support for a class action lawsuit to "shut down" future Ribfests.

I have no doubt you encoutered many challenges at Friday's performance. I saw first hand the problems you're talking about. Trust me, Friday was a challenge for the able-bodied as well. Read back to my previous blog about people blocking walkways and the busing glitch. You may not have been happy with the handicapped accommodations, but the accommodations WERE there. You DID get a parking space, you DID have access to the venue area, there WAS a designated handicapped area closer to the stage with a wheelchair accessible porta potty, and you DID see (and hopefully enjoy) the concert and fireworks, when many who came after you were turned away. The problems you encountered were the same for EVERYONE, able-bodied and handicapped alike. I know, I arrived at the same time on the same day as you. I experienced it as well.

A lot of your complaints cannot be changed, they are simply the nature of the venue. I went to Taste of Chicago too this year, so I know. Taste is held on blocked off streets in a park area, and roads and sidewalks are much easier to navigate in a wheelchair than grass and gravel. But Ribfest is held in a city PARK, not the city itself. I'm sure you can appreciate the difference.

We entered from the west side of the park, where the park and ride buses let us off. As we waited in line to enter and go thru security, there was a fellow loudly announcing "This line is for those who already have tickets!", and he directed those folks who didn't have tickets to where they needed to be. Where we entered was next to the carnival area, and there is a double concrete wheelchair ramp there leading to the venue area. It's a permanent structure, it's part of the sidewalk. But there were no signs directing people who needed wheelchair access there, and they definitely can improve by doing this.

I agree with your assessment of the orange-shirted teen-age security volunteers. They were all over the place but didn't seem to be doing anything, just standing around in groups talking and laughing. It seems they could have made themselves a lot more useful, but then I don't know how they were prepped or what they understood their purpose there to be. It was obvious their purpose didn't include keeping folks from camping out in the walkways, and this is what contributed to the massive congestion by the concert area. People simply could not get in or out without walking on others.

Dangerous? You bet. But as bad as you think it was in the handicapped area, it was worse for the rest of us. We didn't have a dedicated area or facilities, we had to brave the crowd and lines as best we could to get anywhere or use the porta pottys. But to suggest that you and your wife were somehow "disrespected" or discriminated against because you found the handicapped accommodations less than optimal is very misdirected. It's an outdoor concert in a park, it is what it is for EVERYONE.

There is definitely room for improvement at Ribfest. Without a doubt, they need to improve on crowd control and keeping access throughout the area open. They need to have handicapped entrances and exits plainly labeled with signs directing people to them, and the security volunteers should make themselves available to assist others. I'm sure this would have made your experience much more pleasant.

But to want to sue the Ribfest organization after ONE visit to keep these "Carnival Flunk Outs", as you call them, from operating makes you sound like a spoiled brat with entitlement issues. Ribest has been operating for many years. It is run by and is the yearly fundraiser for the Exchange Club of Naperville, a charity organization that is dedicated to helping abused women and children. Last year's festival made around $800,000 which was used to benefit and support dozens of single parent families; hopefully this year's will exceed that. To want to sue Ribfest because your visit there was "difficult" is short-sighted and selfish.

Why don't you sue Taste of Chicago because the violence, bad reviews and lack of entertainment kept you from attending? You come to our city to attend an event because the entertainment is first rate, the food reviews are great and there is no violence to content with, then you want to shut it down because the accommodations weren't up to your standards and you feel "disrespected"? There is a simpler solution: if you didn't like it, then don't come back. Stick to Taste of Chicago and learn to live with it's shortcomings. Leave Ribfest to the Napervillians and others who enjoy it despite it's problems.

Or better yet, why don't you try to be part of the solution rather than adding to the problem? Write a letter to the organizers detailing your experience and suggestions for improvement, rather than wasting such great information on a couple of volunteers who probably couldn't have cared less at the time. The organizers need to hear about your experience and how it can be improved. They could probably use someone like you on the organizing committee. You have a lot of experience and information to offer.

Keep in mind that the main premise of your complaint is that "disable (sic) people should be able to live just as productive and independent lives as able bodied people". Of course they should, and that's exactly what you got at Ribfest. You had the same experience as I did and all the able-bodied people there; no better, no worse. If you want the same experiences that able-bodied people have, you'll be exposed to the same problems we have as well. Many people have blogged that they stay away from Ribfest for the exact same reasons you stated. That's their choice. It's yours as well.

We started out at Ribfest at 2:00 and really enjoyed the family area. Lots to do for the little people, but that all changed around the 6:00 hour. Was very upset when we tried to leave the park at 7:30 and wanted to ask the security man at the front if we could get back in since two of my teenagers were still in the park. Since I walked up to him and was then considered outside the park I was yelled at and told I could not come back in. I felt panic since we had just left two of our kids in the park. We were going to the car to get our snacks and drinks ready for the fireworks.

My two kids in the park said they say a few teenagers almost start a big fight, a guy who jumped the fence and got tazzered, and also people at the gate were asking those on the inside to buy them food since they could not get in. I still like the fest and have been going for years, but felt this 4th was a little out of control.

Mr. Bowers,

What you experienced at Ribfest has nothing to do with the event itself. The rudeness and disrespect people treat others with is life.
I feel for you and your wife, but anyone can be treated poorly or shoved around at crowded events. It's the chance you take. There are only so many people who can fit in one area comfortably, disabled or otherwise. I personally don't see how you can sue humanity for being human.

Mr. Bowers, I don't see what your beef is. You had access. Part of dealing with being in a wheelchair is deciding what you want to put up with when going to public events.

When I was in a wheelchair, my wife and I made decisions on what events I would go to based on how difficult it would be for us to maneuver around. I did not go to some of my children's sporting events because we knew we would have to go long distances across grassy areas to some of the fields. If we had a question of what we might be facing, we would call and get information. It is just a fact of life that most places make the minimal effort to accommodate the severely handicapped as they are a minimal part of the population. If your wife has been in a wheelchair for years, you should know and expect this. I would never have attempted to go to an event like Ribfest in my wheelchair. While I found most people to be helpful, I would expect most drunks to only care about themselves at an event like Ribfest.

Sounds like the Ribfest people made a good faith effort, and the crowd ruined part of the effort. While a complaint to the organizers is certainly called for, a lawsuit isn't.

Then there are those of us who suffer every year without even entering the Ribfest grounds. I live at least 10 blocks away and am assaulted by the music 4 nights in a row, crowded streets, drunken pedestrians returning to cars and on and on. Saturday's "concert" was the worst. We could not hear ourselves think let alone do any outdoor entertaining of our own due to the high decibals coming from the fest. What must the ears of the patrons in the front rows be like? And now we must endure Last Fling and every Triathelon and charity walk. Enough is enough. Give this part of town a break and move the Ribfest somewhere else or cancel altogether! Please. We need RELIEF!

Good to see Brenda Avalong with her usual comments. How do you know that the drunks weren't from Naperville? I also don't think it's fair to judge Naperville from one night of one event. This town is certainly not a wasteland, and if you really thought so, I'm sure you'd have moved out by now.

I've read multiple complaints about the orange-shirted teenage volunteers. Last year, I spoke with a college student who told me that he used to game the system at Ribfest. He and his friends would check in as volunteers, get the t-shirts, then just walk around the event like regular patrons. They basically scammed their way into getting free admission. If this can really be done, and if many of the "volunteers" are not being assigned to a specific area or supervised in any way, then the management of this event needs a serious overhaul.

Our July 4th at the Ribfest was not like any we have ever experienced before. We found a parking space just like all the previous years at around 4:30. But from that point on, things were totally different. We walk behind the high school and get to a long line and don't know what the line is for. It's a very long and very slow moving line. Finally, after about 30 minutes, we see a volunteer (the first volunteer we've seen) and ask her what the line is for. She tells us we need tickets to stand in this line because it's the line to get into the Ribfest through the Security gates. She also tells us where to get the tickets so my husband holds our place in line while I get the $10 tickets. At least another 30 minutes pass in this line before we get through the Security gate. So now we're in the Ribfest area and notice they have us all going through a designated area that is not very wide. We're walking with the crush of people and as we think we're getting closer to the main stage, we realize we can't proceed because there's a darn rope in the way for the beer tent customers. So we and the 'crowd' all turn around and eventually get to the area for the main event and realize there is a record breaking crowd .... the problem with this is there was NO place to set up our chairs. The massive amounts of people was like none other I've ever seen at the Ribfest.

We decide this isn't the Ribfest we want to be at. There are massive amounts of people, no place to walk or sit, lines going nowhere, and people sitting in aisles causing unsafe conditions. All these lead to a potential tragedy waiting to happen. So after just 20 minutes we get ourselves out of there. We stopped at the ticket tent to see if they knew of the conditions inside and asked if they were going to close the gates. Also, if we could get a refund because of the lack of space available and, of course, they had no authority to do so.

I suggest the Ribfest organizers consider the monster they have created by advertising on the major networks. It's not fun anymore, organizer folks, and you've lost us as attendees for any future Ribfests. Certainly the cost of gasoline has kept people home and that may be one of the reasons for the massive amounts of people, but a lot of it has to do with your advertising - bringing people in from all over the Chicago-land area. Oh, and then we see the Naperville mayor on Channel 2 news tonight ... happy fella, big smile on his face, talking jibberish ... Also probably countng all the dollars his city made on the Ribfest .... Well, Mr. Mayor ... we want a refund of our $20 and we'll be contacting your office tomorrow to request a refund because of the Ribfest unsafe conditions.

Looks like fame, fortune and greed has gotten to Naperville, Illinois ... with acts like this, perhaps Naperville will lose their rating as the No. 1 best town in the United States to live in.

I’m afraid that I have to side with “How to Deal” and the others on this one. What did Bowers expect to happen? I understand that he and his disabled wife have attended Taste of Chicago in the past with ease and without incident. I can believe that. Taste of Chicago is a long time festival in a world class city put on by event professionals. They have everything down pat and know how to make a festival accessible and enjoyable by all. Ribfest on the other hand is put on by a bunch of local volunteers that are in way over their heads and do many other things for a living. For them this is a less-than part time hobby when you consider their full time jobs and other commitments such as with the kids or social clubs. And the same people are not always doing things so even though Ribfest has been going on for many years it is as if it is the first time again and again. This was noted in a few posts here. So it is not entirely fair to blame the people who put on Ribfest. They are really telling the truth when they say “This is all new to them and they are trying to figure out how to do it.”.

I think the Ribfest people could save themselves a lot of grief if they would only set the proper expectations. Especially: 1) Ribfest is not handicapped accessible or friendly, 2) the gates close for the day at 3:00 pm. So if you want to see the 8:00 PM concerts or the fireworks you better get there before 3:00 PM, 3) Parking is impossible and expect very long waits for shuttle buses, and 4) the crowds on the fair grounds are very densely packed and most like to drink a bit much so please anticipate people shoving, punching, threatening and using explicit language.

If you are up front and give people the information they need ahead of time the whole fest should go far more smoothly.

Does this mean we all get to blast music for the whole town to hear until 10:00 p.m. on worknights?

I suggest Ribfest organizers get realistic and find a larger and safer venue for the future. After being pushed and shoved inside the grounds on July 4 my family had to endure the the unexpected mob scene when trying to board the buses back to Neuqua Valley. After waiting for 1 hour for a bus to finally show up the pushing, shoving and obnoxious behavior made it unbearable. Ribfest used to be a family festival for the people of Naperville. What has happened is that it has now gotten too big; with a lack of planning for the crowds that show up from the suburban area. Organizers, please listen to what the people are saying and get this under control!!

Its interesting to see that almost every single comment is negative on the Ribfest.

I no longer head down to the Taste of Chicago for it was too crowded,and too much of a hassle, well, now I won't go to the ribfest either, for the same reasons.

Its just getting literally out of control. From hearing from people I know who worked the event on the 4th. There was a VERY REAL possibility of a disaster/riot.And I don't see next year getting any better, and thank goodness we didn't get a nasty thunderstorm thrown into the mix as well!

This "humongous" version of the ribfest has to stop, its too big, and too expensive,(can any of you remember the old days where on the first day if you were working nearby, you could leave your office and grab a quick rib dinner for lunch and get back to work?).

Im actually embarrassed about the event now,its no longer an event that I take pride in having in my community. T

The best way for me to summarize the ribfest of today, is that the entire experience is NOT what Naperville is all about.

Taking you family to the municipal band concert on a Thursday night,is what Naperville is all about. NOT the ribfest.

I know someone on the fest’s organizing committee and suggested to him a couple of years ago that they sell tickets good for a particular day, as opposed to the tickets they sell now which can be used for any day of the fest. I thought this might help to ease the crowding as they would be able to limit the number of tickets sold for any particular day. The response I got was that they didn’t care if they turned people away because if the park was full they were making money.

Nice attitude, huh? I haven’t gone to the fest since.

T.B.

I never thought it until this day: Naperville is a racist town. I brought my family to the fest, hoping for some great ribs. I plotted the space near the main stage with three blankets.

When someone wanted to use my space, I told them I had been there since the morning and my family was sitting there. When they walked away, obviously displeased, one of them said the N-word under the breath which I could clearly hear.

If my 5-year-old daughter weren't nearby I would have probably been arrested for lashing out at the guy.

Anyway, I can't remember being more hurt and embarrassed. It ruined my holiday. To think that Naperville gets all these accolades for best place to live and so on.

By the way, the guy was wearing a Naperville North High School shirt.

I would love to pile on the negative aspects of Ribfest but I had a good time. I went on the 3rd and got there with my family at about 2pm. I was able to park at the church by donating $10 to the local boyscouts. There was a petting zoo that my two year old son loved and there was no additional charge to get in the petting zoo. There were also many vendors giving out free samples and BBQ tips that was entertaining as well. Due to the fact that it is 2008 and seeing Ted Nuggent or REO Speedwagon wouldn't rate high on my list of things to do we left the fest at about 6pm and a good time was had by all. The food peices were high but $20 per person for dinner isn't THAT bad. It would cost me more then that at the ballpark for much less food and much lower quality. If seeing washed up rockers and reliving your youth is important to you I guess you need to put up with the crowds. If you want good food and enjoy a nice event, take a vacation day from work, get there early and be gone before the mulletts and denim arrive. Enjoy!

When the grounds are getting shut down at least once a year due to overcrowding, the event has simply become too big for the site. We arrived on the evening of the 4th around 6:45 and found the park already closed for the night. Since we were planning on having dinner at Ribfest, we couldn't get anything to eat or drink until we got home from the fireworks around 11:00. We were absolutely starving. I don't see any point in going back next year if there's a 50-50 chance I'm not going to be able to get in.

I understand the need for crowd control for safety reasons, but why don't they use a "one in, one out" policy when the grounds reach capacity? That way people can actually get something to eat, and the vendors still have new customers coming in as the night goes on.

I was embarassed by this year's fest. I had family visiting from out of town and really 'talked up' our alternative to Chicago's Taste. Sure, we parked successfully at 4:00 on Friday, but after that- - total nightmare.Crunched crowds at the entrance and beyond. NO WHERE to place chairs/blankets. People squatting spots in the 'walkways'. Not to mention the horrid food lines, conditions of the port-a-pottys, and complete lack of crowd control at every turn. We left before the 8:00 show. From what I heard, I'm glad we did. So embarassing. Will not return. Total disaster. Can you even imagine if it started to rain like in year's past?!?

Question for Jay;

How long have you lived at your current location? Did you move in before or after the year Ribfest started?

Ribfest should not be held as close to downtown as it is now. Entrances to the hospital were closed, which made it difficult to get to the north entrance. I was trying to get to the hospital on Thursday, and had to take detours all over town just to get there (Washington was backed up to Harris Bank) The noise from the entertainment stage was terrible all four nights. You could hear it from two miles away, and it was annoying. These festivals have become nothing but greed driven.

Where has all the Ribfest money gone? Looking at how much Ribfest grosses just from the gate versus how much The Exchange Club donates each year there is a huge discrepancy. This year the attendance estimate is approximately 1 million people over the course of the entire fest. A ticket costs $10.00 at the gate. Advance tickets cost $8.00 at local businesses. Assuming only just half the estimated attendance at 500,000 and all advance tickets at $8.00 the gross would be $4 million dollars. And that does not include the 10’s of thousands of dollars in sponsorships and other revenues. And The Exchange Club estimates that they will be able to donate to charities more than the $800,000 they did last year. So using very conservative numbers and assuming just giving the same amount as last year to charities the net proceeds from Ribfest should be in the neighborhood of $3 million dollars. Where has that money gone?

Forty years. Enough for you?

Sounds like you all had bad experiences at ribfest. It also sounds like according to a lot of you the "outsiders" are the obnoxious drunks and the naperville residents are the innocent bistanders bearing witness to these intolerable acts. Realistically, not all residents of Naperville are what you'd call ideal citizens. I have no problem with the complaining about families having to put up with idiots and the congested environment, but don't blame it on people not from naperville, because chances are the people from naperville are equally rowdy when under the influence of alcohol.

I'm still fairly new to Naperville, and have yet to brave Ribfest. It seems like the people who are complaining are those who attended on the 4th. Between the holiday, the fireworks and the entertainment, I'm sure that is the most popular day to attend. Did anyone have a bad experience on any of the other days of the fest?

By Jamal D. on July 7, 2008 1:23 PM
I never thought it until this day: Naperville is a racist town. I brought my family to the fest, hoping for some great ribs. I plotted the space near the main stage with three blankets.

When someone wanted to use my space, I told them I had been there since the morning and my family was sitting there. When they walked away, obviously displeased, one of them said the N-word under the breath which I could clearly hear.

If my 5-year-old daughter weren't nearby I would have probably been arrested for lashing out at the guy.

Anyway, I can't remember being more hurt and embarrassed. It ruined my holiday. To think that Naperville gets all these accolades for best place to live and so on.

By the way, the guy was wearing a Naperville North High School shirt.
-----------------------------------
Sorry to hear of what happened, but Naperville is not a racist town. One jerk using the N-word does not make the entire city racist.

You have no reason to be embarrassed. The embarrassment belongs to the low-life who insulted you, not the other way around.

Moving Ribest to a LARGER VENUE would be a huge improvement. I suggest Frontier Park and the NV High School Campus.

Just a thought.

Went to Ribfest Sunday afternoon. Total disaster.....deceiving coupons and terrible crowds. Yes, crowds are to be expected at a festival, but what happened to people being considerate of others? Ribfest may still be a good event for adults only, but the whole family feel is gone. I agree with others that Ribfest has become too large for its venue and probably too large for Naperville. In response to the person above who stated that one should take a vacation day and go to the festival earlier in the day, we have done that before (about 3 years ago) and it was been pleasant. However, if you'll recall, this year's fest was run entirely over a holiday weekend with a Thursday noon start to a Sunday close.

My family and I attended on Thursday from 2pm-6pm. We all enjoyed our time there. Not too crowded, nobody rowdy, just a good time. We planned it that way. 4th of July is the most popular day to attend and had a decent band to draw even more people in. Use common sense and manage your expectations. Thinking that attending on the 4th after 3pm would not present challenges is not realistic.The handicap issue is unfortunate and hopefully positive changes can be made in the future, but the fact is that this is a festival held in a park with nothing but grass. Ribfest is a fine tradition, for a good cause run by generous volunteers. The Exchange Club should be appluaded first, then offered constructive criticism. Can't wait for the Last Fling, another example of generous Naperville residents offering others a good time for a great cause.

Fred W.,

Where did your estimate of 1 million people come from? For a 4 day event that would mean 250,000 people would have to attend per day. Considering that park capacity according to the Naperville Fire Department is less than 50,000 people your figure is impossible to meet. The total attendance for the 4th was less than 70,000, and the 4th was the most attended day. Saturday was the weakest day with around 25,000 people attending. The actual figures come nowhere close to your "figures." Before you go spouting off such figures I suggest you check your facts.

Personally, I had a great time at Ribfest this year. Not too crowded; never waited more than 10 minutes in line for ribs or other food/drink; fun easygoing atmosphere; great fest. Of course, I was there on Saturday afternoon between 1:00PM and 5:00PM.

I recognize the Ribfest the complaining posters are talking about: the one that occurs on the night of the Fourth, and on Friday/Saturday night; the one that is an unsafe, unpleasant, unaccommodating, ill-staffed nightmare. I’ve been to that one, too, and I won’t go back. Not that they miss me, as I see that they still turn away people at the gate. People they already sold tickets to and won’t give refunds. I see that my decision to stay away on the Fourth and watch the fireworks from a nearby park remains sound.

Ribfest doesn’t need new grounds (though it would help), but it does need new thinking. The use of space in the facility is poor. Foot traffic needs to flow through, not be funneled into dead ends via choke points. Much as we might wish for mature forbearance, crowds of that size need real control, especially when alcohol is being served. Unpaid teenage volunteers even were they well trained won’t cut it. Ticketing practices need to reflect the reality of the event.

The situation on the popular evenings has eclipsed mere unpleasantness. It’s dangerous. I’d like to think that the folks in charge would be willing to work harder to get a handle on it *before* some great misfortune forces them to, instead of after. I’d like to think that if they couldn’t make time for it between counting the gate, the folks who hold authority over them would ensure they prioritize it.

A postscript to people who wonder where all the money goes: I continue to be amazed that Ribfest operates on a cash system. The reason events like Taste, Milwaukee’s Summerfest, etc., make you purchase tickets to purchase food and drink is to keep the vendors, and everyone who deals with them, honest about their take. Pure cash basis dealing, without the requiring vendors to prove up sales by redeeming the tickets, is an invitation to steal. Ribfest is way too big to operate on the honor system.

I have an idea that may be a win-win-WIN all around. Why doesn't the City of Naperville buy the Brach-Brody property and build a multi-stage outdoor concert and festival venue for all of the Naperville based fests to use? It could be used for Naper Days, Ribfest, Last Fling, October Fest, and maybe some new fests throughout the year. It would be the municipal concert and fest location that could also be rented out for other concerts for additional revenue.

The whole place could be run by event professionals hired by the city. This way we would have consistent professional management for every fest instead of the current haphazard volunteer system we suffer with now. Access, parking, and facilities would be designed from the start to be fast and efficient with plenty of handicapped access. This sounds like a far better idea to me than trying to squeeze these fests into places that were never intended to be used in that way.

John-

Alright, I’m not sure where I saw the million number but I did drop that down to 500,000 for my calculations just to be conservative. But let’s use Ribfest Chairman Don Emery’s stated number of 60,000 per day. That would make 240,000 attendance over the four days if no one ever left the fest after arriving for the day. We can both agree now that this is an extraordinarily conservative number to use. The actual will be much higher.

So even at an attendance of 240,000 the gross would be $1.92 million dollars. Minus the $800,000 they could give to charities that would leave a net of $1.12 million dollars. That’s still an awfully large amount of money to go unaccounted for. And that is not including the thousands and thousands in sponsorships.

The Naperville Exchange Club is a registered not-for-profit organization. Most not-for-profits try to run with about a 10% overhead for fundraising and administrative costs. The National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) finds that a legitimate not-for-profit should have no more than a 25% overhead. Using the above conservative numbers, The Naperville Exchange Club is running with a staggering 60% overhead for fundraising and administrative costs. In rough numbers this means that The Exchange Club of Naperville is spending nearly $2 million dollars a year to make $800,000 to give to charities. In contrast another local charity, according to published reports, spends a mere fraction of that on fundraising and administrative costs and managed to give $900,000 to charities. A full $100,000 more. How can this be?

I understand that everyone involved must be paid. That is my point. Everyone else is making big bank off of Ribfest leaving very little left for the very charities The Naperville Exchange Club claims to want to help in the first place. I know this is very hard to hear and I accept that there are some people genuinely interested in doing good. But this is very very far from “It’s about kids”. More like “It’s about the money”.

I used to go to ribfest and I have stopped. Too many people and too little room. Lisle eyes to the skies is much better. They have utilized the entire park which is huge.
I would rather look up to the hot air balloons than have to worry where im walking so I dont step on people.

It would have been nice if they posted signs BEFORE you got to the park stating that it was closed. It would have saved me from walking all that way for nothing. It will never happen again. Won't go ever again.

my oh my. ribfest. last fling, oktoberfest. rude, drunken mobs. is that all naperville is? a party town?

My husband and I had a very pleasant experience at the Ribfest this year. We learned from previous years to avoid the most popular day, July 4th. On the 4th, we instead decided to watch the fireworks from just outside the fest on the north side of Naperville Central High School. Although we live in Brookdale, we avoided traffic & parking issues by riding our bikes to the location.

As for the Ribfest, we decided to attend on Sunday evening for the Trace Adkins concert. Again, we chose to ride our bikes to avoid parking issues. We arrived at 5:30PM to a full crowd, although it was not unreasonable in size. We found a seat, then filled up on ribs and enjoyed the fest prior to the concert starting.

Was it crowded? Of course! But, it is a concert by a big-name artist for $10. I don't think it was crowded beyond control, though. We were able to move about the grounds without much trouble or delay. I think choosing to go on a less popular day this year made our experience that much better. I felt relaxed the entire time and truly enjoyed my time at the fest.

My only annoyance with the experience was the so-called "security." I thought it was a little ridiculous to see large groups of high school-aged, female teenagers wearing "Security" t-shirts. Were these girls truly supposed to be volunteering for the fest? If so, they did a very poor job representing our town and the Exchange Club wearing their skimpy shorts and rolling their t-shirts up to expose their stomachs. Who exactly were they going to protect us from, anyway? The only "security" issue I think they would actually be able to handle would be squabbling toddlers. Let's get some actual adults capable of handling security measures to fill those positions. And if we are going to take the help of these teens, someone needs to be sure they are properly dressed for the job.

Look out now - The City of Naperville and the organizers of Ribfest are apparently now being investigated by the State Attorney General's office for possible civil rights violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act pertaining to handicap access to the site and management of the areas and facilities set aside for handicapped patrons. It is my understanding that this was confirmed in a statement by a spokesman for Lisa Madigan's office, as published in a Chicago newspaper this morning. It is appears quite possible that at least 2 individuals will file complaints against the city and the Exchange Club. Is Ribfest now far too large and poorly managed as some claim? Has it now become a legal liability as well.

to: Confused and confounded on July 10, 2008 2:14 PM

Please post link to story.

Hopefully, if the State Attorney General's office is really investigating this, they will realize that there is no valid claim. At some point, handicapped people should realize that every venue cannot be made perfect for them. Unfortunately, many handicapped people think the world owes them because they are handicapped, and that just isn't so.

The article was in a "local" supplement distributed with the Chicago Tribune in the Naperville area earlier this week - I believe it was Monday. I can not find it online but will look in my recycling bin to see if I still have it. I did not mention that newspaper earlier as when I have done so in the past, my posts did not get published in the thread.

To Ken on July 11, 2008 2:37 PM--

Go back and read the following post if you didn't already:

By Dan Bowers on July 6, 2008 8:57 AM
DISABLED PEOPLE SLAPPED IN THE FACE BY NAPERVILLE RIB FEST
by Dan Bowers

When Mr. and Mrs. Bowers attended Ribfest on the 4th of July, they got a handicapped parking spot (but complained anyway because there were ONLY THREE handicapped spots available), got into Ribfest (but complained just the same because he had to push his wife's wheelchair across bumpy grass as the venue was a Naperville City park; I guess he expected a paved wheelchair walk), sat in a roped-off area close to the stage dedicated to the handicapped with their own wheelchair accessible porta potty (but complained anyway because he thought the handicapped area was too small and able-bodied people had the nerve to use the handicapped porta potty also). So in short, he had a dedicated parking space, dedicated area to watch the concert and fireworks with a dedicated restroom but wants to file a lawsuit anyway because it was "difficult" and he feels his wife was "disrespected".

I think you're right. Handicapped people don't want an experience EQUAL to the able-bodied, they want an experience much EASIER than the able-bodied.

I was at Ribfest at the same day and time as the Bowers. I hope Lisa Madigan's office calls me during their investigation. Given the crowd there on the 4th of July, they had it better than all the able-bodied there. I know; I was one of them.

Please, everyone just ignore Ken. Reading his posts on this and other blogs, it's doubtful he's more than 12, 13 at best.

Since Ribfest has grown so large it might be time to consider either having the fireworks display in a different location or moving Ribfest to a different location and leaving the fireworks at Knock Park. In other words Ribfest and the fireworks would not be connected or part of the same event anymore.
Also would like to see the Exchange Club put in some "pay" toilets that are like those in the sponsors tent. I would be willing to pay to use a cleaner facility.

Ken,

There is a thing called the ADA and I'm not talking about the American Dental Association. They are Federal Regulations that certain entities must adhere to. If there's a valid claim, it will be dealt with. If there isn't, it will be dismissed.

Explain to me why anyone would eat anything cooked at ribfest or any outdoor fest to begin with. Think about it, who in their right mind would want their food cooked over a hot grill in a tent when it's 85 degress plus outside and the cook is sweating over your food and lets not even talk about the washroom facilities.

I've w