Good causes slathered with barbecue to flavor Westmont community festival

Three nights of free music and a carnival are the latest flourishes by the Westmont Lions and Westmont Jaycees, who will co-host their third annual Red, White & Bar-BQ event from Friday through Sunday, May 22 to 24, for Memorial Day weekend.
The event has moved to the southeast corner of Ty Warner Park near the intersection of Blackhawk and Plaza drives in Westmont. The Red, White & Bar-BQ combines a community festival with a sanctioned barbecue competition in which professional cooking teams from across the Midwest compete for prize money and trophies. An amateur competition tests local barbecue enthusiasts.
 

Band night themes

Friday is Hot Sizzle Night, featuring a mix of hot jazz and funk with the Taylor Street Jazz Ensemble and Reverend Funk Connection. Music begins at 7 p.m.
Saturday is Soul Cookin’ Night with the rock and soul sounds of the group August, which features a 14-piece band including full horn section. The Not All There Band starts playing at 5 p.m. and August at 8 p.m.
Sunday is Country Cookout, with The Hoyle Brothers playing country swing. Organizers insist line dancing will be mandatory. The country jamboree begins at 5 p.m.
Other local bands will play throughout the day Saturday and Sunday, all in the Entertainment Tent on Plaza Drive, just west of Blackhawk Drive. The Entertainment Tent also will offer beverages including beer and wine. There will be food vendors, with several serving award-winning barbecue.
Tickets to the all-ages carnival on Plaza Drive can be purchased on location. It runs from 4 to 10:30 p.m. Friday; noon to 10:30 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. The weekend also includes a 3-on-3 soccer tournament, tie-dye shirt making booths from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, cooking demonstrations and youth rock bands.
For more information, visit www.westmontbbq.com or call Event Chair Jim Addington at (630) 654-2894.