Ribbers took over Prescott, Ont. this weekend at the Leo Boivin Community Centre and Fort Wellington. The first annual Prescott Ribfest & Sportsman Show, being hosted by Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Leeds and Grenville, started on Friday and wrapped up on Sunday afternoon. “It’s been a great weekend here in Prescott,” said Dana Valentyne, economic development officer with the Town of Prescott. Prescott is about 100 kilometres south of Ottawa, and hosting events like this tends to draw a crowd from the city. “Wanted to do everything that we could to host and put on a really good show for the community and visitors,” said Valentyne. “There’s been certainly a big team effort that’s gone into this.” Ribfest is hosted by BBBS, with all local vendors paying a fee to set up, which goes directly towards the charity. “We run these fundraisers in order to support our mentoring programs,” said BBBS event coordinator Allison Reid. BBBS has hosted Brockville Ribfest for over two decades and decided to add Prescott to the schedule this year for a fundraising boost. “It’s one of our biggest fundraisers of the year. And it’s worked so well for 23 years that we decided to branch out to Prescott as well,” said Reid. Some vendors are going above and beyond to help support the charity. Windmill Brewery, located just 4 kilometres east of Prescott in Johnstown, set up a beer garden for the event with proceeds going directly to BBBS. “This is our way of helping out and being part of something that’s really important to the community,” said owner Sean Lucey. “Beer tents and Ribfest go hand in hand.” Brockville Ribfest will be held later in the summer, from Friday, Aug. 8 to Sunday Aug. 10.
