THUNDER BAY— Piles of barbecued meats will be available at Ribfest this weekend.
Thousands of hungry attendees are expected to flock to Marina Park, looking to feast on the plentiful menu of Dinosaur Jr. and Ribs Royale, along with plenty of other options as local food vendors were set up around the park for the four-day event.
“We love to see the families come out, all ages and the children enjoying themselves,” said Jackie Knough, executive director of Our Kids Count.
Knough said the organization will benefit from the weekend’s fundraising activities, and that the weather is holding off, and the crowds were starting to form on Thursday.
“It's one of our biggest fundraisers that we do at Our Kids Count, and a big part of that is our 50/50 draw,” she said.
Ticket sales for the 50/50 draw have already started in person at Ribfest and online, she said.
“You don't have to be here to win. Last year, we raised about $20,000 for our 50/50, so we're excited about that to bring that back again this year,” she said.
Knough said last year’s grand prize totalled more than $20,000, and she’s hoping to deliver that and more in 2025.
“Any amount is a great amount, but this year we are hoping that more and more people know that we're here at the marina and that they're going to come out,” she said.
Tickets can be bought on site and online at the Our Kids Count website.
Ribfest also features plenty of entertainment on stage including: Maple Stone, Throwback, Head Rush, and Back Forty.
Multiple other events will take place at the festival this year, including a beer garden hosted by Sleeping Giant Brewery, Knough said.
“We love to see the families come out, all ages and the children enjoying themselves,” she said.
“We have activities with the bouncy castle, we have our carnival day, we have clowns coming with balloons, face painting, lots of different activities.”
Knough said that all community members in the city are invited to Ribfest.
“You don't need money to be able to attend Ribfest… we really want to make sure that families can all participate.”
The vendors and ribbers are accepting cash only, but there are ATMs on site.
Parking for the festival is free at the Marina.
