Fire up those grills and ready the ribs
Piping hot ribs, ice cold drinks and — hopefully — four sunny days.
That’s what Rotary Club of St. Catharines is counting on as another winning combination for its annual Ribfest, which runs this weekend at Montebello Park.
As many as 10,000 people are expected to fill the park each day, starting Friday at 11 a.m. and wrapping up at 8 p.m. Monday.
“Great music, and we have a lot of local bands,” said Ribfest chair Serge Paquin. “So you get to hear some bands on a big stage where you might otherwise just hear them in a small bar. More importantly, we have great ribs, great food and for the kids hotdogs and hamburgers.”
This is the 20th year for Ribfest. Paquin said the club hopes to pass the $1.5-million mark for money raised in that time. Each year, the festival brings in between $80,000 and $100,000.
Rotary spends that money on several agencies and projects across the community including Hotel Dieu Shaver, Community Care, Pathstone Mental Health, Niagara Children’s Centre and Rotary Park, where it partners with the city.
Six ribbers are lined up for the weekend, with their oversized grill set-ups designed to feed long lineups of people.
Thirteen bands will perform during the festival with music including funk, R&B, pop, classic rock covers, country and soul. The lineup includes The Associates, LMT Connection, Jonesy, Polyester Groove and Brad Battle.
“And if you’re bringing the kids we have a whole section of bouncy castles, there’s a whole kids’ zone with mini putt” and other attractions, Paquin said.
Ribfests have become more common over the years, as have other food festivals like Niagara Wing Fest at Rennie Park in St. Catharines last weekend.
Those events, he said, support good causes, too.
“I think there’s room for all of us. There’s something to do every weekend over the summer.”
It’s proven to be a time-tested, winning formula, he said.
While St. Catharines Rotary has about 100 members, it’s a core of roughly 15 who put Ribfest together with help from family, friends and approximately 150 volunteers.
“I don’t think people have gotten bored of live music, great food and a few beverages,” said Paquin.
“So while we can’t grow any more because we’ve filled Montebello Park, I think it’s still a winning combination.”
For more information and a full lineup of live entertainment go to StCatharinesRibfest.com.