Get the blues July 4 at Ribfest
Ribs or pulled pork? Funnel cake or elephant ear? Ribfest ale or Miller Lite? Rock or blues?
Decisions, decisions!
Ribfest in Naperville is not the place for the indecisive this Fourth of July weekend as the festival offers a long line of options for meats, sides, drinks, desserts - even musical styles.
The event this year added a third stage to the setup at Knoch Park, 724 S. West St. There will be music and dance performances on the Navistar Main Stage and the Show Wagon stage on the north side of the park and on the OneMain Financial Stage to the south.
"No matter where you are in the park, you're going to be close to some live music," said Ray Kinney, a member of the Exchange Club of Naperville, which is hosting the 29th annual fest as a fundraiser to support charities that help end child abuse and domestic violence.
Ribfest organizers are highlighting the quality of blues performers scheduled to play the OneMain Financial Stage on Monday, July 4, entertaining crowds near the 12 rib vendors in "Ribber Row," the carnival and the family area. Acts include Smokey & Friends, Black Cat Bone with Bob Neis, Joanna Connor, Mike Wheeler Band and Toronzo Cannon.
They'll take the stage from 1 to 9:15 p.m., bringing blues-styled tunes while bands on the Navistar Main Stage - Tonic, Gin Blossoms and Tres Moustache - will be jamming out with '90s rock.
"These guys are really, really good blues players," Kinney said about Monday's performers, especially Toronzo Cannon, who he said has been compared to Buddy Guy.
Cannon, a Chicago Transit Authority bus driver by day and blues performer by night, headlines the blues lineup from 7:30 to 9:15 p.m.
He'll perform after Smokey & Friends, a Chicago-based jam band, at 1 p.m.; Black Cat Bone, a blues group based in Naperville, with Bob Neis at 2:30 p.m.; Joanna Connor, a blues-based slide guitarist, at 4 p.m.; and Mike Wheeler Band, a blues group from Chicago, at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets at ribfest.net range from $20 for general admission to $125 for VIP sponsor passes.