Rib Fest gears up for 12th year

ZANESVILLE – The 12th annual Rib Fest will bring together old favorites as well as new faces in food and entertainment.

Scheduled for Friday and Saturday, the Rib Fest will take place at the Muskingum County Fairgrounds. The live music starts at 5 p.m. on Friday and at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

The rib competition is scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

Food will be served beginning at about 3 p.m. on Friday and at 2 p.m. on Saturday, and it will be served until the event ends.

Ernest Bynum, with Minority Business Resource Network, which hosts the event every year, said there are 16 vendors scheduled for the rib competition from across the state as well as the country. One vendor is coming from Florida, Bynum said.

“They’re called Skin and Bones,” he said.

There is no telling which vendor will come away with the top prize, he said. Even among the regular competitors, winners have been across the board.

“You can never tell,” Bynum said. “It’s up to the judges.”

Prizes for the rib competition include first, second and third places as well as the people’s choice award. Occasionally, he said, the first place winner is not the same winner as the people’s choice.

In addition to the rib competition, there will be a beer garden, raffle, live music as well as activities for children, including bounce houses and face painting. The fest is designed to bring people of all ages together to simply socialize and have fun, Bynum said.

“We hope the weather holds up,” he said.

ksnyder2@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com

740-450-6752

Twitter: @KL_Snyder

Rib Fest live music schedule

Friday

5 to 6 p.m. - Girls Can Rock

6:30 to 7:30 p.m. - Inner City Blues Band

8 to 9:15 p.m. - Hot Boyz

9:45 to 11:15 p.m. - Funky Gurus

Saturday

4 to 5 p.m. - Slap Jack

5:30 to 6:30 p.m. - Jimmy Vincent

7 to 8:15 p.m. - Inner City Blues Band

8:45 to 10 p.m. - Funky Gurus

10 to 11:30 p.m. - Hot Boyz