6 Corners BBQ Fest

AWFUL! I'd like to know how long they really spent planning this. I doubt the folks who organized this cared much at all. The portions were too small and way overpriced. I paid $37 for admission for two, 2 tiny pulled pork sandwiches, 4 small rib pieces (though these were quite good), and 4 bottles of water!! It would take a complete overhaul for me to go back next year. Also, where was Smoque? Or even Sutherlands (though I know they're new) or Gale St.? An embarrassment to our neighborhood.

I tried to really like this fest. I live within walking distance of it, and it seemed to gather a big crowd.

That big crowd didn't stay long. Two BBQ vendors and Las Tablas. That's not a BBQ fest; that's just a small little block party. Way overpriced, too.

We were encouraged to tour the old Portage Theater. It was open, and when we walked in, the big screen had an art film or some type of blue movie with close-ups of sexual organs.

That was weird.

More varieties of food would really help to boost this new fest. Heck, just more food in general.

*Update: the immediate neighborhood has a lot of great BBQ venues: Smoque, Gale Street Inn, Sutherlands, The Portage, La Villa and even Bread and Wine. That's a great line-up of local food operations if there ever was any.

Not one of these restaurants were featured at this festival; just the catering operation that took over for the former Giovanni's in Berwyn. I used to go to Giovanni's, and they were alright. But this fest was in no way a true BBQ fest, and definitely not representative of the area.

2011 was the first year of a BBQ fest serving the 6 corners community and hosted by the Six Corners Association.  I see that someone has posted it in the Events area of Yelp so it's happening again this year (2012).  If you click the link for the website you may not find any information, yet.  I clicked it already and it's a homepage for a new blog.  Last year's site was up for some time but offered little to not enough info.  It's another year and I hope for 2012 we can see more representation of local restaurants.  There are some big names in Chicago BBQ that are nearby and if the association could get them to come out, that would be a big deal to barbecue enthusiasts like myself.  Jefferson Park has a reasonable festival that gets Gale street to theirs, it'd be a place to start?

2011's fest was okay, best for families and kids.  They are operating this in the shadow of bigger BBQ festivals happening all around the city.  Ribfest Chicago being the biggest and best of, at least for the 606 zip codes.  Another local big one with big names is one which happens in Forest Park during later summer which happens to attract barbecue caterers and wannabes that aim to find out if they have the gusto to start a new business off of winning a prestigious title of, "best of".  If you attended the Windy City BBQ fest which happened in the Uptown area last year, their  festival was almost exactly like the 6 corners version.  Except less drunken, strange people.  Don't get me wrong, drunken strange people make for interesting people watching.  The six corners area is more family involved.  So, what I liked most about it was the layout and offering.  They kept one area for the stage and music which was far away from where the children and families were seated and playing.  They had a few jumpers set up for the kids but the hours of service of those areas was a detail very hard to get at their different entrances.  My first visit out there with four wee ones in tow turned angry when the entrance folks told us there was still time for the kids to play, but after paying and entering, we find out the carnies are taking the jumpers down.  The kids were heartbroken, especially after the length of time sitting in the car looking for nearby parking.  

FYI, good information for a festival website =  Times of or schedule of a kids area and or shows for the kids.  They may have had a schedule of shows last year, but I don't remember a timing schedule for kids activities & jumpers.  If the kids are happy, then I can manage to get in some beer time with the parents and check out the local singles scene for myself.  As far as ribs, tips and more I found the selections to be too typical.  Some of the people they had offering food are the companies we always see at Chicago festivals.  The guys with the huge triple layered signs selling frozen lemonades, fried snickers and run of the mill BBQ and those huge turkey legs.  They had one or two Chicago barbecue names like Robinson's which I don't have the highest regard for.  If I go to a fest for barbecue I usually always come out with fingers stinking of sweet barbecue.  After leaving this one, that wasn't the case.  The fest was geared more for the likes of the neighborhood or felt like one huge block party.  I hope this year the fest has a larger offering and involves more of the community.  Maybe more stores that are located on that stretch of street have open doors and are participating in the fest.  More inclusion or involvement from area businesses or other service providers hosting tents at the fest.  Just some ideas, I hope will enliven this years.