Live music, family-friendly entertainment and ribs galore will be found in Sarnia’s Centennial Park this Father’s Day weekend, as the Sarnia Kinsmen Club will be hosting their 23rd annual Ribfest.
Featuring four professional rib teams, 10 bands, a beer tent, an arts and crafts show as well as over a dozen food and clothing vendors, Ribfest will take place on June 17, 18 and 19 in downtown Sarnia.
While admission is free during the afternoon, tickets are required to attend Friday and Saturday evening festivities ($20 in advance, $35 for a weekend pass available at www.ticketscene.ca or $25 at the gate if tickets remain), which feature a number of outstanding bands said Ribfest co-chair Jack Struck.
“It’s going to be a big event and on Friday and Saturday nights we have a humungous lineup in terms of entertainment,” he said.
Beer Store Money, Scott Manery & The Barnburners will feature on Friday night along with special guests Shania Twin – Donna Huber, a tribute act to Shania Twain and Les Smiths and Fresh Horses, a tribute act to Garth Brooks.
On Saturday, Highway Jones, Johnny Five and Chain Reaction Canada will play rocking sets before DESTROYER Canada – a Kiss Tribute band – takes the stage. And on Sunday afternoon the Stevie D Trio and Robb Sharp & Lit’l Chicago will take center stage at Ribfest.
Attendees can also enter their name into a draw, Struck said, and walk home with some huge prizes.
“For everybody who comes in starting on Friday right up until 3 pm on Sunday, we’ll be giving everyone a ticket, they put their phone number on it and put it in a barrel and we’re going to have continuous free draws all Sunday afternoon,” he said. “There will be all kinds of prizes.”
An event that typically attracts over 15,000 people each year, Struck said he anticipates even more people will come out to this year’s food and music fiesta after the outright cancellation of the event in 2020 due to the pandemic and a modified, drive-thru event in 2021.
“People are looking forward to getting out, getting some fresh air and honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if we get well over (15,000) this year,” he said.
Money from the Kinsmen fundraiser – whose title sponsor is Carpenter’s Local 1256 – will go directly back into the community, Struck said, supporting a number of local charities and a variety of other club initiatives. After a pair of tough years in terms of fundraising due to COVID, the club is looking forward to getting back on track thanks to Ribfest, he added.
“Over the past two years, I’m ashamed to say that we couldn’t help as much as we normally do for our organizations,” Struck said. “I hope this year we can get back on track and help them how we have in years past.
“Our big thing this year is … to continue our work making Baxter Park a beautiful park. We also make Christmas baskets for the Inn of the Good Shepherd and the Salvation Army, we help Cystic Fibrosis and the Canadian Cancer Society, and of course we have the Santa Claus and Canada Day parades – it’s going to be nice to see those things back on the street this year.”
For more information about Ribfest, visit http://sarniakinribfest.com or the Sarnia Kinsmen Ribfest Facebook page.