Sunday’s severe storms proved to be a minor puddle for Tinley Park’s inaugural Ribfest, which concluded Tuesday, with estimates of 30,000 people attending over the 4-day run, officials said Wednesday.
The event featured enhanced security measures
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such as metal detectors and bag checks, and came after a carnival in May in the village that was disrupted by groups of teens.Fences around the festival grounds, drones and a teen supervision policy were implemented for the event, which was held in the south parking lot of the village’s 80th Avenue Metra station.
But Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz and village manager Pat Carr said no security problems were reported for Ribfest, which featured live music, food vendors and a carnival.
The Armed Forces Weekend Carnival, sponsored by the Tinley Park Chamber of Commerce and held at in the north parking lot of the 80th Avenue Metra station, saw an invasion May 20 that police said consisted of hundreds of teens who fought among themselves and tangled with police, resulting in one officer needing treatment at a hospital.
The carnival was to conclude May 21, but police shut it down a day early after monitoring social media reports that indicated a second “flash mob” was planned.
While hot, steamy weather was the norm for much of Ribfest, torrential rain that moved through the Chicago area Sunday did not force a closure or late start to the fest, which ran from 2 to 10 p.m. each day Carr said. Some south and southwest suburbs saw rainfall totals exceeding 2 inches during the storm event, according to the National Weather Service’s Chicago office.
“We were watching it,” Carr said. “We knew the rain was going to stop.”
One band scheduled for Sunday canceled due to the storm and music got underway after 4 p.m., he said. When gates opened Sunday, the rain “didn’t deter people who got there,” who gathered under large tents to partake of food and beverage options, Carr said.
“It exceeded our expectations,” he said of the fest. “We are really happy with the way it turned out.”
Metal detectors and wands were used to screen attendees coming into the festival area, along with bag checks.
Tinley Park hired an outside security firm to bolster the village’s own police presence, and teens 17 and younger were not be allowed in unless accompanied by someone 21 or older. Drones were also employed to monitor crowds, and personnel from Cook County’s Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security were on hand.
Carr said attendees did not have qualms about the security measures.
“As a matter of fact, a number of people thanked police for the security measures that were in place,” he said.
The village hired Downers Grove-based P4 Security Solutions to supplement village police for the Ribfest.
Personnel from the firm will also supplement police for Tinley Park’s annual Block Party July 15 and 16 on Oak Park Avenue, adjacent to Zabrocki Plaza.
Metal detectors will not be used but bag checks will be in place, Carr said.
Along with hiring the firm and other measures such as fencing and metal detectors, Carr estimated the costs of additional security for Ribfest might be in the neighborhood of $200,000.
The total cost will not be available until all of the expenses are tallied, according to Carr.
Security expenses will come from a “penny-per-play” tax the village has imposed on video gambling machines and not come from the village’s General Fund. Money from the tax has been earmarked for special events.
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