By Adam Brazeau
CORNWALL, Ontario – The sizzling grills from the fourth edition of the popular three-day event are filling the air with mouth-watering aromas at Lamoureux Park this weekend.
The Cornwall Seaway Lions Club’s annual Ribfest is back with live entertainment, fairway, Carnival Diablo’s World of Wonders, dozens of exhibitors, and, of course, ribbers.
Event chair Phil Shorey says about 30,000 people filled the park throughout Friday.
“It was chaos,” he joked.
To accomodate the growing crowd, the beer tent was expanded an additional 20-feet.
The city’s skyline is emptier this summer without the usual pillars of concrete and hot-air ballons drifting by, but Cornwall’s appetite for Ribfest rumbles on.
Shorey attributes the free admission and entertainment for the festival’s continued growth, as well as a dedicated group of volunteers and loyal sponsors. He thanked Ontario East, Budweiser, and the Kinsmen Club of Cornwall.
“Other than that, the ribs are the real draw,” he said.
This year’s lineup of grill masters: Chop Shop BBQ, Crabby’s BBQ Shaq, Fat Boy’s BBQ, Ribs Royale (2014 Ribfest champs), Smokehouse Bandits, and Pig Kahuna Island BBQ. The ribbers compete annually in several categories: best sauce, best ribs, best pulled pork, best chicken, and best overall ribs. Except this year.
“We’re not judging this weekend. There was a problem in 2014, so we let it slide,” said Shorey. “One of the ribbers wasn’t happy another restaurant cleaned house.”
Feast your eyes on Carnival Diablo: “Come and see the freaks”
Believe it or not, Ribfest is about more than ribs.
Carnival Diablo’s World of Wonders, a menagerie of freaks and strange artifacts, is waiting for those who dare to enter.
Tour guide Jessica ‘The Human Marble’ Huether is also a sideshow performer. Her act includes walking on pathways of glass shards and lying on a bed of nails.
Carnival Diablo owner and operator Scott McClelland will be performing in Prof. Crookshank’s Traveling Medicine Show at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Saturday night’s lineup:
Trench Town Oddities: 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Front Row: 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Sonic Boom (Kiss Tribute Band): 9:30 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Sunday’s lineup:
Texas Tuxedo: 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Falling Grace: 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Ridin Shotgun: 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
