The McAuliffe and the Knievel families have been friends for a long time.
Yes, that Knievel family. The one with daredevils named Evel and Robbie, who jumped over buses and canyons in their motorcycles and rocket-powered cycles.
Area restaurant owner Tom McAuliffe knew Krysten Knievel, Evel’s granddaughter and Robbie’s daughter, when she was a baby.
Who knew four decades later the McAuliffes and the Knievels would be a part of a huge event to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday in Tinley Park?
The first Country Fest takes place July 3-5 at the 80th Avenue Metra Station. Some of the headliners are Ashley Walls, Eric Chesser and the Knievel Daredevil Band, featuring Krysten Knievel.
She sang at grandfather’s funeral in 2007 when she was in her mid-20s.
“She was just a kid and had an amazing voice,” McAuliffe said. “I’ll never forget that.”
The McAuliffe family hopes to put on a festival few will forget as they rolled up their sleeves and are organizing a family oriented festival that will include food, music, fireworks, a handful of rib vendors and a carnival.
The McAuliffe family is known for running successful restaurants and bars including Durbin’s and Teehan’s. They have participated in many fests over the years, but this is the first time they will run the show.
If Country Fest seems a little familiar, that’s because it resembles the two-year Ribfest in the village.
The village hosted Ribfest during the Independence Day holiday in 2023 and 2024, and it drew tens of thousands of people each year.
The village dropped it in 2025 because it was too much of a commitment, according to Mayor Michael Glotz. The village added events in the past few years to keep village workers busy enough, he said.
The McAuliffe clan saw this as an opportunity. Tom, his sons John and Tom II, and daughters Shannon and Kelly, formed Family Festivals, Inc., and this is their first project.
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“We thought Ribfest was pretty successful,” Tom McAuliffe II said. “We didn’t have anything in ’25 and it’s one of those things that get your juices flowing.
“It was big business. We had a lot of people. We had big crowds. It was exciting. It’s hard to shake that once you are a part of it.”
His father said this is a big event for the community.
“The great people of Tinley Park and the surrounding suburbs deserve something like this,” Tom said. “Ribfest was a great success and people loved it. It really brought a nice fest to the community.”
The event is family friendly. And, for the most part, the McAuliffe family members are friendly to each other though they may get into a heated argument or two.
“People may see us yelling at each other and eight minutes later it’s all forgotten,” John said. “We are very much looking forward to Country Fest. We’ve been in (Ribfest) for a couple of years but now we are running it so it will be challenging.”
Aside from the main five members of the family, plenty of other family members and friends will help out.
“It’s great,” Shannon said. “We spend a lot of time together. We’re a close family. We all know our parts and it works well.”
For Tinley Park, it will mark a busy holiday with double the fireworks.
The village and Park District will sponsor a fireworks show at dusk on July 3 near Country Fest. Fest goers can watch the show from there.
The village and Park District will sponsor another fireworks show at 9:30 p.m. on July 4 at McCarthy Park, 16801 S. 80th Ave. Festivities and food trucks start at 6 p.m. and Radio Gaga performs at 7 p.m.
On July 5, Country Fest runs for one more day.
General admission tickets are $18.39. Tinley Park residents receive half off July 3 and 5 and are free on July 4. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite or Tailgreeter websites.
This appears to be a one-off event in its present form. Glotz said he liked the idea of a country festival celebrating 250 years to augment the usual celebrations for Independence Day, but he doesn’t foresee this as an annual event.
“It’s a one-time deal,” Glotz said. “We will not allow an event on the Fourth of July weekend ever again after this 250-year event.”
The McAuliffe family hopes that can change.
“If it works and everybody loves it, maybe we’ll do it again if possible,” Tom said. “We will get through it this year and see what happens.”
Meanwhile, this festival will feature some local and national talent hitting the stage, including the Knievel band.
But don’t look for festival organizers to set up any school buses for Krysten to jump over.
“I don’t even think she can ride a motorcycle,” Tom said with a laugh.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.