"National-known event"? That claim is pushing reality to it's limit.

Yes, Ribfest brings in big bucks but it also has enormous expenses. Only what is left over goes to charity and the revenue to expense ratio is not consistent with what most experts consider acceptable for non-profits.

Considering the use of public facilities and the huge amount of time spent by city staff planning for each yearly event there should be total transparency in terms of how much Ribfest costs Naperville taxpayers for all city staff time, how much this costs Naperville Park District for staff time as well as improvements and damage to park facilities along with full disclosure of revenue, expenses, and how much is actually donated to each charity and how much of the money that goes to each charity actually stays and gets spent in Naperville versus how much is spent outside the community.

Only when the big picture is transparently disclosed and known can the citizens of Naperville really make an educated decision about the true value and worth of Ribfest to our city and community and whether or not Naperville citizens should support Ribfest being continued or whether it should be disbanded.

I think you have nailed it!

I've been wondering the same thing: while the event has grown to spectacular size, does the charity obtain bigger benefits.

I'm not expert, but I did download copies of the Exchange Club's Form 990 tax returns and it appears that they actually lost money on Ribfest in the three years I reviewed.( 2002,2006,2010) I want to stress that I only see the return data filed and I could well be mis-interpreting the information. I'd be grateful to anyone who could correct me, if I'm wrong.

Thanks

I was there at year one, and have one to all but 3 since. We would walk around and know many, if not most, of the people we came across.

Personally, think the current version is too big, too "rockstar", and too national.

I understand they make more money or the charities, which is great, but at what risk? My question is "What is the current dollar-to-charity per dollar-spent versus 25 and 20 years ago?"