Three days before the first ever McCook Rib Fest, promoter John Zapa was in a hectic yet hopeful mood.

“They’re putting the tents up as we speak,” he said around 4:30 p.m. Monday. “Everything will be set up by the end of Tuesday.”

McCook Rib Fest runs Thursday through Sunday is expected to be a big draw.

It will be held in the parking lot behind the The MAX aquatic center, 4751 S. Vernon Ave.

There will be live music by 11 bands, three nights of fireworks, a carnival, a car show, and – of course – plenty of barbecued ribs courtesy nine vendors from around the nation.

There will also be local vendors selling ice cream, funnel cakes, lemonade, nachos and “general festival food,” Zapa said.

The hours are 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday, 2 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1 to 10 p.m. Sunday. Fireworks will be at 9:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

The car show is planned for 2 to 7 p.m. Friday, he said.

Admission to rib fest is $15 per person. Children age 3 and younger are free. Parking is free.

“Our carnival is catered to families. We’ll have the Ferris wheel and smaller rides for children,” he said.

Zapa, the owner of Event Wiz Inc., said McCook offers a great site for Ribfest.

“The location has ample parking. We won’t be bothering the neighbors because it’s more of a private area. Nobody will be parking in front of anybody’s driveway,” Zapa said. 

The site is in the midst of McCook’s sprawling industrial park. It’s south of 47th Street and just west of First Avenue, providing easy access from the Stevenson Expressway, he noted.

“It’s centrally located. Whether you’re west, north, east or south, it’s easy to get to,” Zapa said.

Years ago, his company did the rib fest at Toyota Park and later moved it to Tinley Park for a couple of years. “Both locations were good. This year, we decided to be in McCook,” Zapa said.

“The bands that we have, we have a mix of country, classic rock and dance music. A good mix. Really good bands. Some local bands and some are from out of town,” Zapa said.

Visit www.eventwizinc.com for more information.

McCook Mayor Terrance Carr is looking forward to the weekend.

“We are trying something new in the village. You have to crawl before you walk, so come Monday, I’ll let you know if we are walking,” Carr said . “We hope for the best. But like I always tell you, you have to crack an egg to make an omelette.”

And rest assured that Carr – who owns the Steak-N-Egger restaurant chain – knows all about making omelettes.

McCook Rib Fest band lineup

THURSDAY

4 to 6:30pm: Xtreme Cover Band, rock

7 to 10 p.m.: Sins ‘n’ Roses, rock 

FRIDAY

2 to 4 p.m.: Anthem, classic rock

4:30 to 6:30 p.m.: Whiskey Road, country

7 to 10 p.m.: Bad Medicine, Bon Jovi tribute band

SATURDAY

2 to 4 p.m.: Members Only, rock

4:30 to 6:30 p.m.: Eric Chesser, country

7 to 10 p.m.: LP Vinyl, Journey tribute

SUNDAY

1 to 3 p.m.: Night Snake, Whitesnake tribute

4 to 7 p.m.: Casey Muessigmann, country

7:30 to 10 p.m.: Kashmir, Led Zeppelin tribute

RIB VENDORS

Armadillo’s BBQ

Aussom Aussie BBQ

Austin’s Texas Lightning BBQ

Big Show BBQ

Carolina’s Catering

Chicago BBQ

Git-R-Smoked BBQ

Mojo’s BBQ

Salt Creek BBQ