Smokin’ good time at Rotary Club’s Ribfest weekend

By Ry Clarke - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on August 20, 2022.

Herald photo by Ry Clarke Patrons sample barbecue sauce before making their choice of vendors during at Ribfest Friday at the Enmax Centre.

The grills were smoking and the flavour was alive Friday as Ribfest kicked off down at the Enmax Centre with Pistol Pete’s Oklahoma Smokehouse, Blazin’ BBQ, Billy’s BBQ, and Buckeye BBQ serving up the sauce.

Hosted by the Rotary Club of Lethbridge the event goes all weekend starting at 11 a.m. daily, giving attendants plenty of time to fill up on ribs, chicken, and pulled pork – one for every meal, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

After the previous two events were held in a drive-thru style, this year’s festivities gives people the chance to get up and close to the grill, watching the cooks grill up a storm in the 30-degree weather.

“We’ve gone back to the walk-up event. Which is great, because that’s exactly what we want. We want that interaction with people. These guys are professionals. They’re the western Canadian Rib Fest Tour. They do this week in, week out for the whole summer. The setup is professional, it’s organized, it’s tailored. Plus, we’ve got some local vendors, Tail-Gators and Swirls Ice Cream, we’re mixing the Rib Fest Tour with the local vendors,” said Nick Nicolacopoulos, Ribfest chairman.

Looking to expand on the event, the Rotary Club has partnered with Enmax to secure the growth of Ribfest.

“As we start to build on this event, we’ve signed an agreement with the Enmax that will be here for the next three years. This being our first year with the Enmax in person. We knew coming off COVID we had to start over again with our vendors. So next year, we’ll see more local vendors, we’ll see more things for the kids, we’ll see a carnival type of atmosphere. That’s what we’re building towards turning it into a bigger festival than it is now. But for now, this is great start. With that plan going forward,” said Nicolacopoulos.

As for the flavour, each station has its own unique sauce giving attendants samples before choosing their meat, with a championship title on the line.

“They have a competition every year. We’ll get a judging table on Sunday. Putting the four ribs to test on the sauciest, the best, and the most tender. Then we will hand out trophies. It’s a real rib-centric event,” said Nicolacopoulos.

Sauces range from sweet, spicy, sour, or a mix of the above. The hardest choice is just picking one.

“Here at Blazin’ we have a sweet and tangy sauce with a little bit of an applewood flavouring at the end. It goes really well with our cherry wood smoked ribs. It’s like a nice little fruit salad mix of ribs is what I call it,” boasts Emma MacIsaac with Blazin’ BBQ.

“We’re extremely familiar with the city of Lethbridge. We won best chicken and best sauce here in 2019. We’re hoping to come up with another one on Sunday. Our sauce is sweet and mild, with a little bit of jalapeno for a little kick at the end. It’s definitely more on the sweet side for that flavour palate,” said Hanna Campbell with Buckeye BBQ.

This year Ribfest will be raising funds to help assist Ukrainian refugees here in Lethbridge as well as sending funds and medical supplies to the Ukrainian people affected by the conflict overseas.

The Rotary Club is working hard to make sure the funds help make an impact while offering up a ton of entertainment, making the extra few notches on the belt from all the great food go towards a worthy cause.