By Ryan Spoehr
SLN staff
After an overwhelming turnout of tens of thousands people attending the inaugural Elkhorn Ribfest last year, organizers are firing up the smokers for a second go at it.
“Everyone loves barbecue. We brought in many barbecue companies from all over the country last year. We even brought one in from Australia,” said Larry Gaffey, the organizer of Ribfest. “I think everyone wanted to try the pulled pork, the ribs, the chicken and other things. We had everything.”
Ribfest returns to the Walworth County Fairgrounds, 411 E. Court St., Elkhorn, Friday through Sunday, July 14 through 16. It will feature a competition among top rib-smokers from all throughout the country, and visitors will have the chance to taste-test all the smoked items.
Gaffey and others involved in the event are hoping to build off last year’s success, and use what went so right for the event last year.
Of course, the big attraction, ribs, will be readily available. There will be other food available, like smoked chicken and brisket. There will be food vendors throughout the fairgrounds, as all available food vendor spots were reserved by late March.
Last year, there were activities for children, but that experience will grow this year.
“There were plenty of things for the kids. This year, we will have a full carnival,” Gaffey said.
Another attraction last year, live music, will again play a role in the event this year.
“I think the live music for all three days helped,” he said. “All those things together, I think, helped it be successful.”
On July 14 and 15, bands will play throughout the day. The first day of Ribfest will feature performances from the likes of Cherry Pie, Lake Geneva House of Music and Dirty Boggie. The second day will feature performances by Bella Cain, Thirsty Boots Band, Deja Blue and The Amazing Farm Boys.
July 16 will also feature music, including a performance by the Triple D Band. The preliminary round for the Walworth County Idol will also take place that day.
It will all be a part of an enhanced festival-like atmosphere, Gaffey said.
“As Wisconsinites, we all love festivals,” Gaffey said.
Gaffey attributes the success of last year’s event, in part, to social media.
Last year, the event page created for Ribfest reached high numbers with people inviting others and links to the page appearing in people’s newsfeeds.
“It started with me inviting 75 people and it just carried on from there,” Gaffey said.
Within a month of last year’s event, Facebook administrators messaged Gaffey, and they informed him that no more people could be invited to the event.
One night prior to the event, however, 16,500 people clicked the “Going” option on the Ribfest page.
This year’s event has already created a large buzz online. As of June 9, 17,000 people clicked the “Interested” option on the Ribfest Facebook page. Another 2,900 people clicked the “Going” option on the page.
“Obviously, that’s not everyone who (is interested) will go,” Gaffey said.
While Gaffey is optimistic about this year’s event, he also is aware that there may be variables that affect the weekend.
“Weather is a big factor. If it rains, it could affect things. But, we had nice weather last year and it helped,” Gaffey said.
Still, Gaffey is optimistic about the potential of this year’s event possibly even surpassing the success of the first year.
“On Friday, I saw so many people greeting people, saying, ‘I haven’t seen you in so long.’ It was kind of a reunion of sorts in the area. It was kind of neat to see,” he said.
Ribfest is a free event. There is no charge for parking. People are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs.
