Lake in the Hills Rockin’ Ribfest breaks out the barbecue July 11-14
The Rotary Club of Lake in the Hills' Rockin’ Ribfest returns on July 11-14 with a dozen bands, a carnival, and business expo. Not to mention, a variety of award-winning barbecue and rib vendors.
Festival hours are 4:30 to 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday at Sunset Park, 5200 Miller Road.
Admission is $5; children, age 12 or under, are free when accompanied by an adult. All active military are admitted free with a military ID verifying active status.
Music stage
The festival stage opens at 6:45 p.m. Thursday with Simply Elton bringing the music of Elton John to life, followed by the party band Hello Weekend at 9 p.m.
On Friday, classic rock band Anthem will take the stage at 6:45 p.m., followed by Radio Gaga, combining Lady Gaga and Queen, at 9 p.m.
The music stage opens early at noon with Everett Dean and the Lonesome Hearts, performing early rock ‘n roll from the 1950s and ’60s.
Renegade Wildflower, known for their soaring harmonies and gritty, heartfelt guitar work, will perform at 2 p.m.
Eliminator brings the ZZ Top concert experience to Rockin’ Rib Fest at 4:15 p.m., followed by Heart to Heartbreaker, performing music form Heart and Pat Benatar, at 6:30 p.m.
Headliner Jefferson Starship, the ’70s arena band celebrating 50 years, is closing out the third day of the festival at 9 p.m.
The final day of the festival will open with Mr. Myers Band, with a mixture of reggae, soca/calypso, beach music and their own originals, at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Generation will be performing classic rock and soul at 2 p.m. The four-day festival will close out with The Disco Circus, re-creating the glitz, glamour, and groove of Studio 54, at 4:30 p.m.
Rib vendors
There will be rib vendors from around the country, including Pigfoot BBQ Co. from Mentor, Ohio; Texas Outlaw BBQ from Elizabethtown, Kentucky; Cowboy BBQ & Rib Co. from Fort Worth, Texas; After Hours BBQ from Orville, Ohio; Armadillo's BBQ from Atlanta, Georgia; and Mojo's Rib Shack from New Franklin, Ohio.
Other food vendors include: Barones, By the Dozen Bakery, Bubble Gum Concessions, Dr. Vegetable, Dairy Queen, El Chido Street Tacos, Happy Dawg, Happy's Badazz Barvarian, and Smash'd Burgers.
Vendor Blender
While enjoying the music and food, you can check out all types of handcrafted goods and local services at the Vendor Blender. There will be raffles, swag bags, and goodies galore as you wander the park to shop and mingle. Vendor Blender hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Carnival
The festival feature a full carnival midway provided by Windy City Amusements, including kiddie rides, family rides, and thrill rides. Unlimited carnival ride wristbands are $30 for 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, it goes up to $40.
For schedule of the festival events, go to rockinrotaryribfest.com.
The Rockin' Ribfest is the signature fundraising event for the Lake in the Hills Rotary Club. The club is a service organization made up of business and professional leaders that donate money and time to local community organizations through its fundraising efforts. All proceeds from Rockin Ribfest go to support the LITH Rotary Charities and all of its charitable projects both locally and internationally. For more information, visit www.lithrotary.org.