THUNDER BAY – Ribfest was held this past weekend at Marina Park and was a huge success.
Jackie Knough, executive director of Our Kids Count, said the weekend was amazing.
“We're just super excited to be back with Ribfest and to hold it this year at the marina. The vibe has been all about children and families and everyone coming out and enjoying themselves and sticking around to do lots of activities. We're getting a lot of walking traffic down here, which is nice this year and it's been beautiful.”
Ribfest is one of Our Kids Count’s biggest fundraisers, which helps them operate, Knough said.
“Every year we do our best to raise a lot of money through our 50/50 sales.
“We use all the money raised to support families in the community. All the money goes directly back into the community.
“We have a lot of programs around food security and parenting support. We do counselling services and families just come out and get the services that they need,” she said.
Knough said the event saw thousands this weekend, raising around $40,000.
“It's been flowing all day. Lots of traffic. It's always amazing just to see how much Our Kids Count is supported by the community.
“We wouldn't be able to do an event like this without all of our community partners and all of the sponsors that back us up.”
Knough said it was awesome to see people of all age groups come out.
“Young children to seniors. This is an event for everybody and it's just awesome to be able to support the community with an event like this.
“It's free. I mean, you can't really complain about a free festival. We've had amazing entertainment on the stage and it's been a great weekend.”
Daniel Trevisanutto, co-chair of Ribfest, said the weather made for a perfect weekend festival.
“It's been nothing but sunshine all day, every day, which is awesome and just great crowds coming down to the marina.
“It's been such a great new venue for Ribfest this year.”
Trevisanutto said the new space is very inviting for the festival.
“It's a lot greener. You've got the grass, you've got trees, you've got the water to look out on. It's such a nice area.
“It's a lot more family friendly, which is what we really wanted to bring to Ribfest.”
The feedback about the new location has been positive, Trevisanutto said.
“People have loved it. People are a little unsure – change is always a little bit uneasy.
“Once they get here, we've heard so many compliments about how nice the space looks, and how much this looks more like a proper festival. We've been really thankful to the replies that we've gotten.
“A big thing that we did this year was bring in a lot more family and kid’s activities. Trying out different themes for the day so that there's always something a little bit different.
“(We) change it up and give you a reason to keep coming back and try a different ribber, try a different food vendor and see what it's all about,” he said.
Trevisanutto said with such a fantastic event and a positive response, Our Kids Count would definitely continue to host Ribfest.
“It's bringing community together and what better way to do it than in a park with some great food, great friends and family?”
