30th annual fest offers 100 percent chance of ribs in Naperville

The forecast for the Fourth of July weekend might be a 50/50 mix of rain and sun, but festival lovers in Naperville know there's a 100 percent chance of pork.

That's because the Exchange Club of Naperville's 30th annual Ribfest opens at noon Friday for its four-day run in Knoch Park.

Ribfest steering committee member Bob Pschirrer says it takes two weeks to turn the park from a simple site for ball fields and playgrounds into a 20-acre hub of ribber booths, tents and tables, walkways and stages for musical acts.

Highlights of the event include shows by Toby Keith, the B-52s, Shinedown and The Wallflowers; daily corn-on-the-cob eating contests and a professional eating contest at 3 p.m. Saturday, in which participants registered with Major League Eating will try to earn a spot in the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, New York.

And for this year's finale fireworks show, set to blast off about 9:30 p.m. Monday, viewers can tune their radios to 95.9-FM the River for a soundtrack to complement the spectacle.

Organizers plan to open the park gates after the Monday headliner, The Wallflowers, finishes playing, so anyone can enter free to watch the fireworks.