The Northern Heat Rib Series and the Spring Boat, Cottage and Outdoor Show have taken over Tudhope Park for the weekend.
It’s the sixth year in a row the rib fest has made its way to Orillia.
“We love going to the small towns and putting on the festival,” said Northern Heat Rib Series owner Mark Wilson. “Everybody seems so relaxed, and families come out. It’s such a different vibe from going to the bigger cities.”
In previous years, the event has taken place in Orillia in August. It is taking place earlier this year due to a scheduling conflict, Wilson says.
“We had some things we needed to move around, and I worry a little bit about that,” he said.
He is hopeful it will still be a success.
“So far, so good,” he told OrilliaMatters on Friday evening. “We had to switch our location, too, because of some construction going on in the park and, to be honest, I like the tightness and road exposure.”
The event will return to Orillia next summer, and Wilson hopes it will be in August.
“People just love it,” he said. “To entertain a family, you don’t have to complicate things. Come to a park, get some good food, listen to some good music, have some good drinks, and relax as a family. There is nothing better.”
Saturday is rock ’n’ roll night at the rib fest with an AC/DC tribute band playing on the main stage at 7 p.m. Admission costs $2.
The event will wrap up Sunday at 7 p.m.
Orillia is the fourth stop on the rib series tour. Next weekend, it will be at the Toronto Beaches.
The Spring Boat, Cottage and Outdoor Show is next door to the rib fest this weekend.
Doug Bunker, the Orillia District Chamber of Commerce events co-ordinator, says the event started in 1989, when the boating industry “exploded.”
“It started as a used-boat show,” he explained. “It quickly evolved into something bigger.”
Moving it from Couchiching Beach Park to Tudhope Park has been a challenge. The move was made due to ongoing construction on Centennial Drive.
“We couldn’t put boats on trailers here,” Bunker said. “There is no docking here, so the boat component and the accessibility of using the dock and getting people out is really a tough challenge.”
Despite the challenges, he says it was important to go ahead with the event for the exhibitors, who still wanted to participate.
“It’s kind of an annual thing for them,” he said. “It keeps them coming back because they are a key component of our events.”
Attendance on Friday night was “very low,” Bunker said, but he hopes the tides will change Saturday.
This year, there are nearly 40 vendors, which is down from more than 70 in a normal year.
“There is a mixture of vendors here that have been at the waterfront in past years,” Bunker said. “Come on out and enjoy. We aren’t doing anything except trying to offer people something.”