JOLIET -- Mild temperatures and a headlining band with double-platinum album sales helped propel the Taste of Joliet to it highest attendance numbers since the fest was revived last year. Some 9,000 people attended the event on Saturday to sample food from 23 vendors and watch Everclear entertain with hits like "Father of Mine" and "Wonderful." Click to enlarge image photo by liz wilkinson allen/staff photographer Randy Torres, of Joliet, raises his arms in victory after winning a chicken-wing eating contest at the Taste of Joliet on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Torres won by eating 35 hot wings. Hooters of Joliet donated 500 hot wings for the event. For more Taste of Joliet photos, visit the photo gallery at www.

heraldnewsonline.com. A taste of the Taste Combined with Friday night's 4,000 in attendance count, the festival topped last year's attendance mark of 12,000.

And that was before Sunday's temperatures in the upper 70s brought a large, yet still uncounted (as of presstime) crowd. Dominic Egizio, executive director of the park district, said the "fantastic" weather contributed to the large crowds. "After last year's Taste -- which was the first in 10 years -- people knew what to expect," Egizio said.

"They started looking forward to it and they started planning for it." Allure of food Many came to sample food from restaurants like Cemeno's, Chesdan's Pizzeria and Grill or Pogliano Pork Wagon. Valerie and Keiran Staunton were in town from southern Ireland to visit Valerie's sister, her husband and their son in Frankfort.

On Sunday, the entire group made the trek to Memorial Stadium to give the Stauntons a taste of American food. "We wanted to sample a variety of things that we can't get in Ireland," Valerie said as she cut a piece of 10-inch Italian sausage from Genoa Pizza and Concession and lifted it to her mouth. It was the first time she had sampled an Italian sausage.

"It's gorgeous," she said after chewing for a few seconds. Rita and Ken Atkinson, of Joliet, said they used to attend the Taste every year before it was cancelled a bit more than a decade ago. They revived their tradition this year because of their 7-year-old daughter, Alexis.

"You can't miss an event like this when you have a kid," Rita said. Alexis said her favorite part was the giant inflatable slide offered at the Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center Kids Zone. As for food, the Atkinsons -- as did many others -- agreed that sweet corn cooked by Joliet firefighters was the best offering.

A group of firefighters staffing a special roaster Sunday refused to divulge their secret. "We could tell you, but then we would have to kill you," one joked. The corn sales will likely raise about $5,000, which the fire department will use toward charitable programs.

Based on the initial attendance estimates, Egizio estimated the entire Taste will turn a profit, which will be used to fund programs from the park district's general fund. Last year, when scorching temperatures topped 100, the Taste broke even, Egizio said. Reporter Patrick Ferrell can be reached at (815) 729-6037 or pferrell@scn1.

com JOLIET -- Mild temperatures and a headlining band with double-platinum album sales helped propel the Taste of Joliet to it highest attendance numbers since the fest was revived last year.