Ribfest celebrates 15th anniversary in Chatham on weekend

The Chatham Honda Ribfest is ready to rock Tecumseh Park in downtown Chatham this weekend.

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Organizer Chris Glassford said seven ribbers have been brought in for the 15th anniversary of Ribfest in Chatham, which gets underway Friday afternoon.

“We’ve got amazing ribbers this year,” he said.

Glassford said popular ribber Boss Hogg is making a return after being absent when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

New this year is a hot sauce and barbecue sauce competition with craft vendors competing for people’s choice awards as voted on by customers.

“You tell us which one is your favourite,” he said, adding the vendors will win awards.

Victor Anast, a ribber with Jack the Ribber, has been coming to Chatham every year it’s been held.

“I always look forward to it,” he said.

Anast said Ribfest is held in a beautiful park with a great stage and carnival rides available.

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“The crowds here just seem to be really responsive to the event. They really look forward to it,” he said.

With free admission and a lot of great entertainment on tap, Anast said, “We’re expecting great crowds down here.”

A feature offering from Jack the Ribber is a Tennessee-style brisket that is smoked for 16 hours, he said.

Jack the Ribber customers can ask to have their ribs or brisket sprayed with Jack Daniels whiskey.

Glassford said new this year is the family zone, a mixture of rides and interactive activities along with a family stage.

He said security is going to be tighter during the weekend, including having members of the Chatham-Kent police around all weekend.

“We just want people to feel family friendly when they come here,” Glassford said.

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Art in the Park is back, he said, with several artists who will be set up under a “beautiful canopy of trees” near the Kiwanis Bandshell.

Ribfest draws a big audience that provides local artists a chance to display and sell their work, Glassford said.

“They really want to get their work out there and showcase it and this is a perfect chance for that to happen,” he said.

There’s plenty of entertainment on hand with Big Shiny Toons headlining the entertainment on Friday.

Sweetwood Mac and Epic Elton tribute bands take to the stage Saturday and local band Love Muscle closes out the event on Sunday afternoon.

And there won’t be any trouble hearing the bands.

“Our sound system is three times the size of any year, so we’re making a big party of it this year,” Glassford said.

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