Posted by Naperville Sun, IL on July 09, 2008 at 11:16:08:
Judging ribs a solemn duty
By Tim West
July 9, 2008
One of the advantages to having been here in Naperville for a long time is that I can look back on the first time I was a judge at Ribfest.
Or at least I could if I remembered exactly when that was.
All I know is that it was sometime early on in the history of the event - which now goes back 21 years.
At the time, the competition was judged from what was then the Park District's headquarters at The Barn.
I'm not even sure how many years I judged the event - something like two or three, or maybe even four.
So after a long hiatus, when I was one of the 24 adult judges (plus six youngsters who judged the Kids Choice awards) for this year's Ribfest it was with a faraway sense of deja vu that I took on the task.
It was also with a sense of the gravity associated with this.
The ribbers take the contest very seriously, with not only some great cash prizes at stake ($2,500 for first place in best ribs, for instance) but the ability to use a Ribfest trophy as a way to boost business both at the fest itself or elsewhere.
In the community of ribbing, it's a big deal to be able to say that you took first place in a rib contest - and an especially big deal to be able to say that you received top honors at Naperville's Ribfest.
The Exchange Club of Naperville has made Ribfest a premier summer festival.
The contestants take the competition very seriously, the club does as well, so how could the judges not?
Besides, once you swear to the Ribfest judges' oath, recited by longtime judge Mayor A. George Pradel, you know the ribs have to be treated as innocent until proven guilty - or something close to that, anyhow.
In case you're wondering, the ribs and then later the sauce that are brought to the judges' tables are number coded, so we have no idea which contestant provided them.
All good contests work this way, including the Last Fling rib cooking contest for Naperville area amateur chefs that will be held by the Jaycees in September.
In not knowing whose ribs we were eating there is no way a judge can play favorites, if he or she were so inclined.
We were also not allowed to discuss the ribs among ourselves while we were judging them, so as not to influence a fellow judge.
Actually I was too busy trying to keep ribs and sauce off the really sharp 2008 rib judge shirt I was wearing to try to talk much anyhow.
Surprisingly enough, except for a couple of tiny spots left by the very first rib I chomped on, I was successful, and almost the entire shirt remained a pristine white.
I suggested that maybe they should be dark red or brown instead, but most folks seemed to prefer the white. I guess they're not as sloppy as I am.
The first I knew who the winners were was when the names were published in Sunday's Sun.
Justice, even as it pertains to ribs, is truly blind.
Contact Tim West at west@scn1.com or 630-416-5290.
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