Ribs, ribs, and more ribs for all at Art for Ribs

by Tiffany Hyman

The Lewiston/Niagara-on-the-Lake Rotary Club is sponsoring its first Art of Ribs festival on Saturday, Aug. 14, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 15, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in conjunction with the 44th annual Lewiston Art Festival.

The festival not only includes seven professional barbecue/ribs vendors, but also 20 food vendors, live bands, entertainment for children, and a beer tent for adults.

The barbecue/rib vendors offer a variety, including smoked barbecue ribs, barbecue wings, pulled pork, shrimp, beans, cornbread, and much more. A rib-judging contest will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday and will run through 4 p.m. on Sunday. Noted professionals will base the judging on the most unique and delicious ribs. Trophies will be awarded to the top two winners.

If guests do not enjoy barbecue, they might enjoy the many other choices offered. The variety includes: fried dough, quesadillas, french fries, corn on the cob, bloomin' onions, fried veggies, hot dogs, hamburgers and Perry's ice cream.

Entertainment will be playing throughout the event. Music of all genres will be offered, including jazz, country, acoustic folk, Celtic, soul, and R&B.

The Rotary tent will provide a film presentation on the good works that the Rotary conducts worldwide - and to raise awareness against polio, a viral disease that affects the nervous system.

Elizabeth Kovacs, chairwoman of the event, stated she was thrilled to raise awareness against polio. "I'm very happy the festival is a service organization that offers information to the public about the Rotary and the disease. Many do not understand how dangerous polio is, so this is a great way to start the fight against the epidemic."

Ron Danielewicz, co-chair of the Lewiston/Niagara-on-the-Lake Rotary Club, expressed his excitement for the new event. "We expect a great turnout," he said. "There will be great food and entertainment for all ages. We want guests to enjoy the ambiance of the weekend."

Danielewicz also said there will be a chainsaw competition with a Rotary theme. The competition includes one-of-a-kind wooden carvings.

The profits raised from the event will go toward the maternity ward and the Breast Care Center at Mount St. Mary's Hospital and Health Center. Money will be generated from sponsorships, barbecue and food vendors, and booth sales.

Volunteers are greatly appreciated. There are openings available for park maintenance and the dining tents for four-hour shifts. Volunteers can register online at www.artofribs.com. Kovacs stated, "You can never have enough volunteers; the more, the merrier. Fun is not just for the family, but for our volunteers as well. Everyone is guaranteed to have a blast."

Art of Ribs will be held at Academy Park in Lewiston. For more information, click here, e-mail [email protected], or call Kovacs at 282-2098.