Archive

Great weather in store for 7th Rotary Ribfest

July 14, 2016   ·   0 Comments

Ideal weather conditions are apparently in store for Orangeville Rotary’s seventh annual Ribfest, which will take place this weekend on the grounds behind the Alder Street Recreation Centre.

The lucky(?) seventh show will get under way at 4 p.m. tomorrow (Friday), running until 10 p.m., and resuming Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Environment Canada has promised that the extreme heat and humidity experienced Tuesday and Wednesday will ease slightly today (Thursday) and a cold front passing through tonight will produce much more comfortable weather Friday and Saturday, with a seasonal high of 25ºC Friday, a below-seasonal 21ºC Saturday and a comfortable high of 27ºC Sunday. All three days are expected to provide a mix of sun and cloud, with the only rain a 30 per cent chance Friday night.

The Rotary Club of Orangeville is promising “a weekend of fantastic ribs and great music, with something for everyone, including six energetic ribbers serving up thousands of mouth-watering, barbecued, fall-off-the-bone, get-your-hands-messy ribs, a beer tent, midway for the kids, and continuous live entertainment on the big stage.”

This year, the Ribfest wil form part of Rotary’s fundraising campaign for the Rotary Way Bike Route and Grandpals. 

Music and entertainment is to be non-stop all weekend.  The midway will be running all three days and 11 bands will perform on the big stage, including The Johnny Lane Band on Friday night and the Campfire Poets on Saturday night. 

Sunday will feature bluegrass music all day with Rhyme ’n’ Reason, The Stompin’ Flyers, Old School and The Firecats.  On Sunday afternoon, Ultimutts will put on 3 fabulous dog shows at 12:30, 2:30 and 4:30 p.m.  Check out the Ribfest website at  www.orangevilleribfest.com/entertainment to get all the details about the entertainment lined up.

Again this year, Rotary will partner with Dufferin County Waste Management on waste diversion.  The diversion rates away from landfill in the last two years have been 78% and 83%, and they’re hoping to do even better this time, with a goal to be the most environmentally friendly Ribfest yet.

Any high school students looking for some community service hours are too late, 141 volunteers having already signed up to obtain 1,193 hours.

Volunteers fill several positions, including  Ribfest greeters, cleaning and maintenance assistants, monitors for entrances/exits, and monitors for waste management stations. 

Rotary President Knut Holmson notes that the Orangeville Ribfest is a major part of Rotary’s community fundraising effort, with proceeds directed toward various community projects.  She reminds us that admission to Ribfest is free but donations are gratefully appreciated — look for the Ribfest pig at the entrance.

The weekend-long festival will officially kick off with their opening ceremonies on Friday at 6:15 p.m. Local dignitaries Sylvia Jones (Dufferin-Caledon MPP), Orangeville Mayor Jeremy Williams, and Orangeville Councillors Sylvia Bradley, Gail Campbell, Nick Garisto, and Don Kidd will be joining the Rotary Club on the big stage to welcome the community and get the three-day long party started.

In true Canadian tradition, the ceremony will include the National Anthem, sung by local talent. The young singers who will delight ribbers and Orangeville residents with their voices include Lily Baker, Emma Enright, Madeline Holcomb, Ella Hurson and Emily Janisse.

On Saturday, the Rotary Club’s hand-picked panel of judges will gather by the Family Shade Tent at the centre of RibFest to taste each of the ribbers’ masterpieces and determine who walks away as Judges’ Choice winners.

So far, confirmed for this year’s judging panel are Mayor Williams, Councillor Kidd, Gail James of myFM101.5, Tabitha Wells of the Citizen, and Rotary Club of Orangeville Member/2016 RibFest Chair Charles McCabe.

Both the Judges’ Choice winners for Best Ribs and Best Sauce, and People’s Choice winners, will be announced on the bid stage at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

As always, the weekend will be filled with plenty of entertainment. Along with the classic car show, attendees can expect performances from live bands and multiple dog shows.

You can learn more by visiting the RibFest website at www.orangevilleribfest.com.

– With files from Tabitha Wells

Readers Comments (0)