THUNDER BAY – RibFest is on the move for a year.
The popular late August festival, which two summers ago relocated from the downtown north core to the Canadian Lakehead Exhibition grounds, is going to set up shop at Lakehead University in 2021. The CLE is hosting COVID-19 vaccination clinics RibFest organizers as a result would have been reduced to a single entrance and exit point.
It just wasn’t doable said Daniel Trevisanutto, a partner at Half-Way Motors Group, whose company has been a backer of the event, in support of Our Kids Count, since its inception.
Lakehead, however, offered an ideal temporary solution, the parking lots behind the school providing more than enough space for the ribbers to set up, while also incorporating separate entrances and exits, together with ample on-property roadways, to keep traffic snarls on nearby streets to a minimum.
It was a win-win for everyone.
“LU has fantastic grounds here that provide us with a lot of benefits. If you look around, there is a huge parking lot here. And on top of that, when we do the entrance in off of Oliver Road toward the parking lot, we have space for a really long lineup,” Trevisanutto said.
“That gives us plenty of space for a drive-through.”
Ideally, organizers wanted to return to a walk-up RibFest, with picnic tables set up for people to eat at and room for vendors and entertainment to take part in the event.
There was just too much uncertainty.
Ontario is set to enter Step 2 of its reopening plan on Wednesday, which would allow up to 25 people to gather outdoors and six people to dine at a single outdoor table. Those numbers will grow by the Aug. 26 start date of the four-day festival, but by how much is not yet known.
“It’s the best option, but we felt it was the safest option. If we did a walk-up and we were still facing distancing issues and (respecting) people’s comfort levels as we come out of the pandemic, it’s hard to control that many people moving in and out of three different ribbers,” Trevisanutto said.
Ribs Royale, a perennial favourite, and Dinosaur Smokehouse will provide the out-of-town flavour, while newcomer Daytona’s will take over as the local rib provider, assuming the mantle from Silver Birch, whose owners closed their restaurant, retiring from the business.
Daytona’s owner John Collins said they’re looking forward to the challenge.
He’s already laid down the gauntlet, promising to have the best ribs on site, better than the professional teams that do it for a living.
“We’re already planning and working out ideas because it’s very logistical, going somewhere else and doing this quantity of a product. We have to make sure about refrigeration and all the health unit rules we have to follow,” Collins said.
“We are well known for catering, so the transition shouldn’t be too bad. We’ve competed in one other rib event in Thunder Bay and came second. Other than that, we have ribs always on our menu at different times of the year, just not to the volume that we’re talking about.”
Last year’s event raised $60,000 for Our Kids Count, who will have volunteers on hand directing traffic and selling 50-50 tickets. The goal is to return to an in-person, walk-up event next year.
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