Food festivals in Starved Rock Country this summer

This summer is ready to sizzle and smoke with food festivals. Check out this sampling of flavor-focused events – from established favorites to a brand-new attraction in its inaugural year – paired with live entertainment, family activities and adjacent festivals.

ShrimpFest and Brew Hullabaloo

Saturday, June 1 • Rotary Park, Princeton

Sometimes, Michael Stutzke yearns for a good plate of shrimp.

Essentially, that’s where the Princeton Rotary Club’s ShrimpFest and Brew Hullabaloo began.

Several years back, the Rotary Club was brainstorming ideas for a scholarship fundraiser. Stutzke, previously of Florida before he retired to Princeton, told the group about a shrimp festival his former Rotary Club hosted.

At first, the suggestion raised a few eyebrows. In a region known for corn, cows and pigs, shrimp was an outlier among local food festivals.

But that also meant the shrimp market was theirs to corner.

“The board said, ‘Let’s give it a shot,’” Stutzke said. “This is our third year. We’re off and running now.”

This year’s ShrimpFest and Brew Hullabaloo will celebrate with shrimp, food trucks, cold beverages and live music from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 1, at Rotary Park in Princeton.

Each meal consists of six jumbo shrimp served either grilled or fried. Grilled shrimp include a choice of sauces such as honey, Sriracha and barbecue. Coleslaw and hush puppies are provided on the side.

Festival organizers pride themselves on the shrimp they serve.

“There’s nothing worse than getting a shrimp and it’s half the size of your thumb,” Stutzke said. “When we say jumbo shrimp, these are legitimate jumbo shrimp.”

Additional meal options are available from six food trucks, including Flo’s on Pulaski, Didoughs Pretzels, Farmer Smoked BBQ, Nelson Family Concessions, The Station Food Truck and Grandma’s Kitchen and Desserts.

Brews are the other main focus of the festival. A special offering this year is a Brew Hullabaloo signature craft beer by Coal Creek Brewing Company of Princeton. Euclid Beverages also will bring a beer wagon with a variety of options.

Live music will be performed from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., beginning with jazz standards by the Al Brown Jazz Group, followed by classic to current rock by Infinity. Rounding out the day’s entertainment is the 14-piece band Brass from the Past, which covers Motown, pop, jazz, R&B, soul, rock and punk.

Rhythm & BBQ Festival

Saturday, June 15 • Goold Park, Morris

The Morris BBQ Association has a tri-fold mission: bringing people together to celebrate the culinary art of barbecue; appreciating music; and raising funds for charities. All three boxes are checked with the Rhythm & BBQ Festival.

The festival, sponsored by the Kansas City Barbecue Society, is centered on a competition for up to 35 registered barbecue teams from across the Midwest. Teams face off in three categories: ribs, chicken and best dish, which challenges competitors to incorporate a designated ingredient into a barbecue dish.

Dozens of smokers and grills will speckle Goold Park in Morris when the festival returns for its third year on Saturday, June 15. Light smoke and the scent of cooking meat will waft across the wooded lawn while thousands of guests roam among the teams.

Meats and dishes prepared by competitors are for judges only, but attendees are encouraged to meet the competing barbecue teams and learn their tricks for preparing the cuisine.

“They love interacting,” said Stan Knudson of the Morris BBQ Association. “They love sharing secrets. Most of the people will tell you exactly what they’re doing and how they’re doing it.”

If – or more likely, when – the scent of barbecue sparks guests’ appetite, they can grab a bite at various food trucks.

“The food trucks give a range of options,” Knudson said. He noted past food vendors have offered pizza, tacos and desserts. “We’ll have a couple of traditional barbecue trucks, as well. They feature things like brisket, burnt ends, pulled pork, ribs, rib tips.”

Another focus of the festival is live entertainment, primarily rock and blues music. “That tends to go very well with the culture that is barbecue,” Knudson said.

Southern-rock band Jake Karlik & The Idols from Tulsa, Oklahoma, will headline this year’s show. Additional acts include soulful singer and songwriter Kenny P and folk-rock artist Liam Tipple.

Infinity Food Festival

Saturday, June 29 • Downtown Ottawa

Downtown Ottawa is the epicenter of four festivals on Saturday, June 29. The Infinity Food Festival is the hub that will feed them all.

More than 30 food trucks will flock to the Jordan Block (the 100 block of West Main Street) and Washington Square to serve cuisines celebrating a variety of flavors and ethnicities from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 29. The food festival coincides with three other events: Ottawa Art League’s Art in the Park, where local artists will display and sell their works from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Washington Square; the Starved Rock Regional Center’s Celebration Kids Expo, featuring a car show, bounce houses, crafts, games and other family activities from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the riverfront park west of the Illinois River bridge; and Music in the Park, a free outdoor concert from 5 to 7 p.m. at Washington Square.

For organizer Dylan Conmy, the original spark behind the Infinity Food Festival is a simple one.

“I like food,” he said. “Everyone likes food, and everyone needs food. I think everybody’s got a foodie in them.”

Conmy sought a wide representation of cuisines for the event’s inaugural year.

“We’ve got a little bit of everything. Barbecue, Ecuadorian, Puerto Rican. We’ve got [a] lobster truck. We have a grilled cheese truck coming – that’s where you’ll find me,” Conmy laughed. “We have the Shroom Shack coming from southern Illinois, which is vegan and gluten free. …. There are a good handful of trucks that will have vegan and vegetarian options.”

More cuisine options in the food truck lineup are Thai, Filipino, Mexican, Caribbean and halal meat, plus fare that includes pizza, smash burgers, hot dogs, sausages and desserts.

“There’s something for every age, and we’ll be feeding them all,” Conmy said.

A beer tent will be stationed at the Jordan Block with a craft beer tasting experience.

Four food trucks will remain posted at Washington Square during the two-hour Music in the Park concert. For downtown visitors in the mood for a sit-down meal in the evening, Conmy said signage and menu information will be available to direct diners to nearby restaurants.