'Morale boosting' Rib Fest in St. Albert pivots to drive-thru format
After a year-long hiatus due to the pandemic, Rib Fest in St. Albert returned.
While the format was changed to be pandemic friendly, the second annual Rib Fest, hosted at St. Albert Centre, ran from Friday to Sunday and raised funds for causes supported by the Rotary Club of St. Albert.
Last year, Rib Fest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of being part of the St. Albert City Block Party at Lions Park, Rib Fest was a standalone drive-thru event.
Mark Dixon, president of the Rotary Club of St. Albert, said several rib and barbecue vendors retrofitted their food trucks or meal prep stations to be drive-thru friendly.
Dixon said more than 1,800 people have come out.
People could choose from three different barbecue vendors, including one from the southern U.S. and two from eastern Canada.
“We have had folks who are so passionate about Rib Fest and not necessarily picking one team, they’ve gone through three times,” Dixon said.
For Dixon, an event like this helps show how the community can come together safely in a fun and delicious way to support local causes.
“It is so, so important,” Dixon said. “After managing our way through the third wave of a pandemic, to have something like this – even a drive-thru activity – for the community is powerful.
“The feedback we are getting is that (people) are so pleased it is back,” he added. “It is fundraising for the community but it is morale boosting.”
Mitchell Russell, from Pistol Pete’s, told CTV News Edmonton that the pandemic forced the barbeque tour company to change their entire style of operations.
While the way people get their BBQ is different, Russell assured that nothing to do with the recipes has changed.
“Really the stuff back in the kitchen doesn’t change much,” he shared. “We still have the same recipes and tricks of the trade. It’s just the drive-thru format changing.
Rib Fest is open till 8 p.m. Sunday evening.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.