Beginning on Aug. 11, the Capital City Ribfest will greet barbecue lovers from around the state. A four-day festival, Ribfest boasts great music, fun festivities and, most importantly, award-winning barbecue from vendors hailing from cities around the country and world.
These selling points are the reason Ribfest is now in its 15th year.
"Each year is a little bit different. We book different entertainment," said Derek Andersen, the Pershing Center's marketing director. "The one thing that is constant is great barbecue and great music."
Year after year, people gather in downtown Lincoln to hear bands play everything from jazz to country and eat award-winning ribs that come from the big city scene in Chicago, the "Golden Triangle of North Texas" and the coasts of Sydney, Australia.
Vendor Bill Milroy of Texas Rib Rangers out of Denton, Texas, gives an alternate perspective.
"We've been coming to Ribfest since the second year, and we travel all around the country," Milroy said.
The Texas Rib Rangers no longer have a restaurant and only sell their barbecue sauces at competitions.
"This is our 19th year that we've traveled around," Milroy said. "We've cooked in 35 states and won in 29 of those 35 states."
The vendors that have been invited to sell their barbecue at Ribfest are the cream of the crop from around the world. Milroy said his Texas Rib Rangers fare has won three world title.
The music also promises to be an important part of the atmosphere at Ribfest. On Thursday, Chris Sayre will be opening the festival with his folk and traditional music. Throughout the weekend, there will also be performances by country music band the Derailers, the R&B/reggae band D*Funk and the Blues Orchestra, among others.
Ribfest begins at 11 a.m. on Aug. 11, and runs from 11 a.m. to midnight for the first three nights. On Aug. 14, festivities will begin at 11 a.m. and wind down at 3 p.m. The festival grounds will be in downtown Lincoln on the grounds of Pershing Center. Adult admission is $4, and kids under 11 can get in free. For those who are interested in charity donations, there is a free admission on Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a can of food donation for the Food Bank.
adrienneanderson@dailynebraskan.com
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