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Brantford residents indulge at 14th annual Ribfest

Local NewsBrantford residents indulge at 14th annual Ribfest

Thousands of people attended the 14th annual Brantford Kinsmen Ribfest at the Civic Centre from Friday, August 9 through Sunday, August 11, 2024. 

After last year’s modified drive-thru event, this year’s long-awaited full-size Ribfest kicked off on Friday evening with an opening ceremony where Larry Brock, MP for Brantford-Brant, and City of Brantford Councillors Mandy Samwell and Michael Sullivan welcomed everyone back to the grounds of the Civic Centre. 

“It’s nice to be back doing it the old way with no more drive-thrus,” said Sullivan. “This is going to be a wonderful weekend so get out here and enjoy some of the great food, the desserts and the kids zone.”

Pro-ribbers Route 55 prepare several racks of ribs during the 14th annual Brantford Ribfest on Saturday, August 10, 2024.

Samwell added that she was proud to welcome the annual event back to Ward 5 and thanked the Kinsmen for always bringing the community together. 

“I’m thrilled to be here at Ribfest and I’m very proud to have Kinsmen Ribfest here in my ward,” she said. “I want to thank the Kinsmen for this exceptional event that brings community together and I hope you all have a wonderful evening.”

With the return of this year’s full size event, the Kinsmen, who have been present in the Brantford-Brant area since 1941, were sure to line up plenty of activities for attendees to enjoy including visiting the kids zone and its inflatable attractions, shopping from the vendor artisan market, quenching their thirst in the beer garden and enjoying live music.

Jeff Harding, lead singer for BarCode and Entertainment Coordinator of the Brantford Kinsmen Ribfest, sings Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” during the 14th annual Brantford Ribfest on Saturday, August 10, 2024.

Over the weekend, Jack Sith, Freedom Train, Three Legged Horse, the Tyler Wilson Band, BarCode, AC/DC tribute band Squeeler, the HighBanks Bluegrass Band, the Jesse Murphy Trio and the Whiskey Chasers took turns entertaining the crowds and getting them moving and grooving. 

Of course, it wouldn’t be Ribfest without this year’s five pro-ribbers. Route 55, Brickyard BBQ, Crazy Canuck Smokers, Razorback BBQ and Gator BBQ were all on site serving up some tasty food to the hungry visitors and competing for various awards.

Residents indulge in an appetizer of corn on the cob during the 14th annual Brantford Ribfest on Saturday, August 10, 2024.

From ribs to brisket, chicken, pulled pork, mac and cheese, creamy coleslaw, cornbread and more, there were plenty of summer BBQ classics to indulge in.

On Sunday, Jeff Harding, Entertainment Coordinator of the Brantford Kinsmen Ribfest, announced the weekend winners. 

“We’re going to start with the best pig-rig and your 2024 winner is Crazy Canuck Smokers. For best sauce; in second place is Gator BBQ and in first place, Route 55. The other three were all tied for third place,” said Harding. “For best chicken; in third place is Brickyard BBQ, in second place is Razorback BBQ, and your first place ribber for best chicken is Route 55. For best ribs for 2024; in third place is Brickyard BBQ, in second place is Route 55, and your first place winner, from Norfolk County, is Gator BBQ! …Congratulations to our winners, let’s give them a big round of applause because they’ve been out here all weekend and I know that it’s not all that warm for us, but back there behind the fire, it’s really hot and so we appreciate them all being here.”

Renee Proulx and Bucky Larocque of Bucky’s BBQ Blend, show off a few of their BBQ rubs and sauces during the 14th annual Brantford Ribfest on Saturday, August 10, 2024.

The Kinsmen Club of Brantford is a local non-profit service organization and over the weekend, members were collecting donations that will be used to help serve the city’s greatest needs including youth charities such as the Boy and Girls Club, locals sport teams, Nova Vita and other various organizations focused on health, hunger and humanity. Across the country, the Kinsmen Clubs are best known for their contributions to Cystic Fibrosis research.

Mandy Samwell, Ward 5 City Councillor, shows off her Brickyard BBQ ribs during the 14th annual Brantford Ribfest on Saturday, August 10, 2024.

Harding said that it was great to be back to a full size event and that none of it would be possible without the help of the community.

“It’s always great to put on this event, we always look forward to having it and when we didn’t have it for those few years, it really left a hole in our summer schedules. We had a lot of free time, but it wasn’t the same,” he said. “…I want to thank everyone for being here this weekend, events like this can not happen without the support of the community. Whether it’s you as the attendees and guests, or as sponsors and volunteers, it takes a lot of hands to make this happen so we want to thank all those folks.”

Brantford Kinsmen Ribfest 2024 winners of the best ribs award, Gator BBQ, work hard to keep up with their orders during the 14th annual Brantford Ribfest on Saturday, August 10, 2024.
One youngster climbs the Kids Zone rock wall during the 14th annual Brantford Ribfest on Saturday, August 10, 2024.
AC/DC tribute band, Squeeler, perform “Girls Got Rhythm” during the 14th annual Brantford Ribfest on Saturday, August 10, 2024.

Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.

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