"Ribbers, Rotarians, Foodies," are just a few words that comprised the staggering number of people who attended the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar's 8th annual Oakville Family Ribfest. The Rotarians are dedicated to "serving beyond self."
"This is our biggest fundraiser of the entire year. 100% of our entire profits are donated to charity," said Karen Milner, President of Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar. "Over time, however, this has turned into a lot more than just a fundraiser, but rather a huge community event."
"Something that started quite modestly eight years ago has turned into something that people look forward to and anticipate every year. Now it's actually the biggest summer festival in Oakville!"
"We have so many wonderful attractions from Ribbers (the term used to describe the vendors at the Ribfest), performers including Elton Ron, an Elton John cover performer and just yesterday we had a Led Zeppelin cover band."
Family Ribfest vendors
- The Hogfather
- Bad Wold Barbecue
- Tennessee Fatbacks
- Jack The Ribber and others
Family Ribfest Entertainers
- Elton Rohn
- St. Thomas Aquinas C.S.S.
- Fiddlestix and more
Family Ribfest Attractions
- Sopers Wildlife Rescue
- Midway
- an Escape Room and more
Sugith Jagdeep, owner of The Pie Guyz (a prominent a global pie retailer) bakes the British induced delicacy (as he likes to put it) in countries like England, South Africa, and of course Canada.
"Food shows just like the Oakville Family Ribfest are right up our alley. We do events all over the GTA. In fact, we lived in Oakville a few years ago. This was an exciting homecoming for us!"
According to Dillon Heuvel, senior chef at Crazy Canuck Smokers BBQ Specialists, "The biggest thing people need to realize is barbecue like this isn't available anywhere else in Canada."
"People always ask why not a burgerfest or wingfest and you know what, you can have a great burger and a great set of wings 365 days a year. You can't do that with a barbecue like this. It's a once in a year event."
"We have been based in Oakville for a while. I used to go to school here. Many of the local schools teams I played against on the football field. We love it here. Everyone is super welcoming. The organizers have done a great job putting this festival!"
Also present were many vendors who did not sell food.
"We specialize in dynasty and anime swords knives, chest guards, jewellery, Harry Potter and other popular merchandise said" Jason Weatherup, founder of a themed merchandise store named Badass Den. "We love being at the Oakville Family Ribfest, and look forward to coming back."
By and large, the event caters to a wide demographic including families and residents of Oakville, people from across the GTA. There was even a group from Quebec.
In addition to just savoury meat options, many attractions like a child focused gymnasium, vegan delicacies, funnel cake vendors, games, rides, information stalls hosted by municipal bodies like the fire department, police services, Ram drive tests, and an engaging Film.Ca stall.
"We are one of the sponsors and have been for all eight years of the Oakville Ribfest," said Jeff Knoll, CEO of Film.ca and councillor with the Town of Oakville and region of Halton. "One of the reasons we love coming out to the event is we love the terrific fund-raising goals of the Oakville Trafalgar Rotary club to help give back to our community. It's a great fun experience and it's a great day out in the sun. We love sponsoring this event because it helps us give back to the community in line with our corporate values. We are proud to be one of the independent movie houses in the area that is Oakville owned, giving back to the community."
The event brings together large number people from all walks of life. In doing so, it provides organizations from across the GTA an opportunity to explain their goals and missions.
One example is Alex Chow, a Graduate from the University of Toronto based in Guelph who is one of the founders of Ontario Football Gaming. The organization had a stall.
"We wanted to bring the game of Football Bowling to Canada. I'm originally from Detroit and we saw the Oakville Ribfest as an opportunity to bring the game out to Canadians. We just travel around to different summer festivals and try to have a good time with people. It's amazing to be a part of a game that requires you to be so present helps reduce so many stressors in life, and we love that we can come out to events like this."
Exposure for Not-for-Profits
Ribfest provides spaces for altruistic and humane organizations.
One example is an animal shelter. This unique shelter works with confiscated animals that have been illegally born into captivity. The animals can not be released into the wild, and require a safe environment.
These events help educate people about wildlife. They also raise funds for rehabilitation or the care of permanent residents.
As we go into baby skunk and possums season, the shelter needs to buy expensive specialized milk formulas from the U.S.
All the proceeds from this fundraiser go straight into caring for these animals.
The event gathered together many communities, causes, GTA residents, vendors, organizers, and of course Oakvillians.
In a closing remark to the event, a White Oaks Secondary School student volunteer and founder of the White Oaks Interact club, Bin Atif said "at Rotary events like the Oakville Family Ribfest helps our society gives back to our community.
In context, the Oakville Ribfest is an amazing event that will help raise exponentially more funds and what's more, one can attend the event and just have a great time with all the food, games, and attractions!"
Another White Oaks Interact Club fundraiser included "Food For Life". That event raised enough funds to deliver 2,125 meals.
Oakville Family Ribfest was roaring success that garnered rave testimonials. For more information on the event, click here.
