Extra hot Ribfest packs Square for last time
The Niagara Falls Ribfest said goodbye to Niagara Square with a scorching three days over the weekend.
The 14th annual fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Niagara Falls Sunrise had one of its warmest weekends ever, with Environment Canada even issuing an extreme heat warning for Niagara Falls on Sunday.
Co-organizer Scott Wright said Friday and Saturday both sported huge crowds, with the heat keeping beverage sales flowing: “All liquids are selling.”
He expected to match or exceed last year’s attendance of 22,000 by the time Ribfest closed Sunday.
The show was its usual success for ribbers. Andrew Holdsworth of Billy Bones, from Fort Erie, said the Falls show is always a “great weekend,” and is among the strongest shows of the 17week window for Ontario’s roaming ribbers. He expected to barbecue nearly 3,000 pounds of meat before packing it in.
But besides the heat, the biggest conversation at this year’s show was…where will next year’s show be?
After five years at Niagara Square, and nine at the former Optimist Park before that, the event will be seeking a new home for 2019. Niagara Square closed as a pedestrian mall last May.
Holdsworth, for one, would like to see a return to less pavement.
“Somewhere with grass would be really nice,” he said. “We loved it at Optimist Park.
“I’d say, from our customers that’s one of the biggest complaints we get.”
Tanner Tracey, a ribber for Fort Erie’s The Hogfather, wouldn’t mind a location closer to the tourist district.
“I think having all the tourists down there coming and eating their food, and then go sit by the Falls would be nice. It would be a lot more expensive, but I think we’d see a lot more people.”
Wright says a Ribfest sub-committee will soon start whittling down the possible sites for next year. Like last time, parking and visibility will be key factors.
Either way, he hopes Ribfest’s next home is permanent.
“It’s not good for an event to be jumping around.”