THUNDER BAY – The grills are fired up and the aroma of smoky barbecue is filling the air in the north downtown core.
Rib Fest, which has become one of Thunder Bay’s favourite late August traditions, is back underway after opening for lunchtime on Friday and will run through to Sunday evening.
The three-day feast brings as many as 30,000 people down to the Gateway Casino Thunder Bay parking lot over the course of the weekend. While the hungry customers have been looking forward to the event all summer, those serving up the meaty treats are just as excited to be here.
Gus Sakellis, president of Rib Fest operations for Ribs Royale BBQ, said the people are a big reason why their outfit keeps coming back.
“The community here supports the event since its inception six years ago,” he said. “Our Kids Count does a phenomenal job of hosting a great event for everyone involved for the community and for the ribbers.”
Sakellis and his crew arrived in Thunder Bay earlier this week after spending last weekend at a festival in Montreal.
For them, summers are largely spent on the road and every weekend means a new city.
“Barbecuing for a living keeps us going. This being your front office window, I don’t think it can beat this,” Sakellis said. “Being in different cities every weekend is a plus and knowing that it’s going to a good cause is also another plus.”
Sean McQuiggan, the head manager of Route 55, said they expect to serve thousands of racks of ribs.
“It’s always pretty crazy in Thunder Bay. A lot of people come out, the crowd is always good. It’s always fun up here,” McQuiggan said.
Gladys Berringer, the event chair and executive director of Our Kids Count, said there are more food options than just the four travelling ribbers.
“We have the professional ribbers here showcasing what they do and they have all our local vendors as well,” Berringer said. “We have a nice combination of the local and the professional. It’s a little change up so Thunder Bay gets to experience something from out of town but also to support our local people.”
The weekend festivities include a Cross Fit Challenge and Strong Man competition on Saturday, followed by the Red River Rumble and Kub Car children’s races on Sunday.
The organization, which counts on Rib Fest as its largest annual fundraiser, receives the proceeds from the 50-50 draw and will be selling non-alcoholic beverages and running a corn booth.
“We do have a lot of activity going on to support Our Kids Count,” Berringer said. “Our peer leaders, the people who participate in our programs, are actually running our corn booth this weekend.”
