Food and family-friendly fun coming to 15th Annual Orangeville Rotary Ribfest

Written By Sam Odrowski 

There will be no shortage of delicious food available to residents of Dufferin County and the surrounding area next weekend. 

The 15th Annual Rotary Club of Orangeville Ribfest is returning to the grounds of the Alder Street Recreation Centre (275 Alder St.) from July 19 to 21, with six pro ribbers travelling far and wide to provide a flavourful experience to attendees. 

“It's the Rotary Club of Orangeville's main fundraiser,” said Rotary Club member Charles McCabe. “We have our usual Ribfest ribber setup, and we have food alternatives for people who want something other than ribs and meat. We have a marketplace, we have music all weekend, and hopefully, we'll have good weather.”

The Rotary Club of Orangeville is anticipating 25,000 to 30,000 attendees over the course of the Ribfest weekend and is hoping to fundraise between $75,000 and $200,000. 

“The community certainly is and continues to be interested in the event and they're very supportive of [the Rotary Club]. That allows us to raise money for organizations in the community,” McCabe explained, who noted that the Rotary Club supports not-for-profits like Choices Youth Shelter, Orangeville Food Bank and Family Transition Place.

The Rotary Club also supports community projects geared towards youth, such as the Fendley Park Splashpad or the redevelopment of playgrounds at local schools. 

The Ribfest is free to attend, but donations are encouraged and graciously accepted by the Rotary Club of Orangeville. 

Emceeing this year is Pete Weinzettl, best known by his stage name DJ Swankenstein, and several bands are performing. The lineup features the Hit Disturbers, Dufferin County Line, Larry Kurtz, the Campfire Poets, and a handful of other bands.  

This year's ribbers are Brickyard BBQ, Billy Bones BBQ, Gator BBQ, Bubba Lou's Bar-B-Q, Fatboys Southern Smokehouse, and Texas Jack's Barbecue. Food trucks at the event include F.N. Good Burgers, Ontario Corn Roasters, Festival Foods, Cookies by Gia, Rico's Churros, Rehtt's Donuts, the Ten of Tarts, Yeti Puffs, Lemon Heaven, Donkey Kone, BeaverTails, Lioness Jerk, and Meat on a Stick.

New to the Ribfest this year is an improved KIDSFEST, featuring events for children and youth. KIDSFEST was added to the Ribfest for the first time last year, and due to its success, it is returning and adding a climbing wall for older kids to enjoy. 

“If that proves successful, we'll bring in more activities like that next year,” said McCabe.

A long-running Orangeville Ribfest tradition is David Murphy's Classic Car Show, which takes place at the soccer fields adjacent to the Ribfest on Saturday, July 15, from 3 to 7 p.m. Murphy also organizes the weekly Cruisin' on First Classic Car Show that runs at the Canadian Tire parking lot through the summer months. 

The Ribfest car show will feature a wide range of classic and custom cars, shined up to catch patrons' eyes.

A small but mighty team of Rotarians organize the Ribfest, and it's supported by upwards of 200 volunteers who ensure its success year after year.

The Ribfest runs from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 21.

“We're trying to create an event that people will enjoy coming to and I think that's been evident with the attendance over the last few years,” McCabe said about the Ribfest. “People are excited about coming out and listening to some good music and hopefully enjoying some good weather.