By Darlene Brace
Along the shores of Chautauqua Lake, the Annual Celoron Ribfest will be held at the Lucille Ball Memorial Park on June 5th-June 8th. Barbecue ribs and pulled pork dinners are featured as the main course and there are a wide variety of activities planned. There is some free streetside parking nearby and the festival is handicapped accessible.
Each year there are several rib vendors to choose from. Rib vendors that are returning to the festival this year are Pigfoot BBQ, After Hours BBQ, and Porky Chicks BBQ. A new addition this year is Bubbalou’s Bar-B-Q. Each vendor has a delicious menu with different size portions of ribs and side dishes like pork and beans, cole slaw, potato salad, and cornbread. In addition, there are a variety of sauces you can add to your meal as desired from mild to hot and spicey. For children or those looking for something a little different than BBQ, Fowler’s Concession is also returning this year. At Fowler’s you will find chicken fingers, French fries, pizza, Bloomin Onions, and corndogs as well a specialty treats like funnel cakes, candy apples, and cotton candy. There are also other vendors selling cold sodas and fresh squeezed lemonade to name a few. You have no reason to leave hungry with all these delicious food choices.
Along with all this food to choose from, there is the beer and wine garden. It has a tent area that is roped off. At the entrance of the beer and wine tent, ID’s will be checked and those 21 and over can partake in adult beverages. Table seating is available there to sit at to enjoy your meal. There are also benches throughout the park to sit on or feel free to bring your own lawn chairs.
Besides food and drinks, there are a lot of activities and entertainment planned throughout the festival. Many local vendors will have their booths set up along the park walkways, and they will be selling a variety of goods such as crafts, unique clothing, jewelry, knick-knacks, hats, accessories, and other novelty items.
For children, there will be the Kidzone bounce house and face painting. There will also be train rides around the park, on Friday and Saturday, provided by the Chautauqua Safety Village.
On Saturday, there will be a cruise-in starting at 12pm sponsored by Bailey’s Towing Recovery. Bring your car to show or be a spectator and enjoy browsing at all of the classic cars.
One of the main features of this festival, besides the food, is the live music that they have throughout the festival. On Wednesday night, Taylor Remaid will kick off the festival. They will perform from 6-9pm and play a fun mix of rock, pop, and country cover music. Thursday evening, Backlog will be performing rock n roll from 6-9pm. The Derek Davis Trio will play a variety of genres from 5-7:30pm on Friday evening, followed by Erie band Bucked Up that will perform from 8-11 pm. Bucked Up is a country/rock band that will get people up dancing or moving to the beat in their seats. The live music continues Saturday afternoon with The Untouchables playing decades of favorite tunes from 4:40-7:30pm. Concluding the festivals live music line up will be the popular Smokin’ 45. The shores of the lake will be movin’ and groovin’ to this talented band playing “country music with a little bit of rock.”
The chairman of the Celoron Ribfest Committee is Celoron Mayor Scott Schrecengost. He has been involved in planning this festival for twelve years. He and the rest of the committee planned an exciting and entertaining community festival which is also a fundraising event. Mayor Schrecengost said, “I am excited about this year’s festival. We have a great line up of entertainment and delicious food. This fundraising festival is a chance for us to give back to the community by giving support to local non-profit organizations.” The proceeds of this festival will go to the Celoron Fire Department, the Celoron Moose, and other local nonprofits. The mayor continued, “I’d like to thank all the sponsors that have graciously donated to this festival through the years, as they are what makes this great festival possible.”
This year’s festival offers a lot of delicious food and great entertainment, and it promises to be a good time for everyone. Bring your family and friends with you to enjoy the Celoron Ribfest. If you have any questions or for more information about the Celoron Ribfest, you can go to celoronribfest.com.