Ribfest wraps up
Volunteers the secret ingredient to a successful fundraiser
The ingredients to most of the rib recipes that brought thousands of food lovers to Rotary Ribfest this weekend may mostly remain a secret.
Not so secret, though, is the dash of entertainment, the pinch of goodwill and the heaping helping of good food that continues to make the annual fundraiser such a success.
“It takes a lot of volunteers to get this going. I think that’s the real key,” said Everett Reid, the event co-chair.
“The ribbers are good — that’s the food, that’s the draw — and people are coming to support the charity of choice, which is very important, but without the volunteers this would not happen.”
Reid said more than 200 people give their time to the event each year and are pivotal to its success. Many of them have volunteered since the first Ribfest but new ones have come on this year, including a large number of international
students.
“Even the ribbers say this is the cleanest, most well-run event. They are amazed that there is no garbage around or anything.”
He said the family feel of the event through its music and children’s activities and live entertainment is also important to each year’s success.
The result of all those ingredients attracted an estimated 30,000 visitors as of 5 p.m. Sunday evening as people continued to flow through the gates for the final hours of the event.
Reid said that number is down a bit from previous years and pointed to some colder nights as a possible reason.
Still, when all donations at the gate are counted by this morning it was expected that the two charities of choice this year — Caleb’s Courage and the Patient Care Fund — would fair very well.
Over the previous three years, the event, produced and run by four Rotary clubs in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, had raised more than $209,000 for the Hospice Society of Cape Breton.
“That’s the plan,” Reid said when asked if Rotary Rifest will return in 2019.
“There’s no reason why we wouldn’t. Hopefully in our fifth year it will be bigger and better.”
“The ribbers are good — that’s the food, that’s the draw — and people are coming to support the charity of choice, which is very important, but without the volunteers this would not happen.”
Everett Reid, the event co-chair