Smoke filled the air and barbecue sauce covered fingers as families packed the Lloyd Ex parking lot for Border City Connects’ (BCC) annual Ribfest.
Three rib trucks fired up their grills for the June 13-15 event, drawing long lines and hungry crowds. Alongside the ribs, visitors grabbed mini donuts and deep-fried onions.
Ribfest is a joint effort between the Lloydminster Kinsmen Club. and Border City Connects, a non-profit that supports accessible transportation.
“Ribfest is a great community event,” said Mike Sidoryk of Border City Connects. “It’s continued to grow to be a great little festival feature for this whole community.”
“This is our annual Father’s Day Ribfest in Lloyd,” added Darcy Wildeman of the Lloydminster Kinsmen Club. “It’s just a fun-filled weekend.”
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Chainsaw carving artists put on live shows while kids bounced between games in the Border Paws Kids Zone.
“We want to turn it into a family event,” said Wildeman. “We’re building it every year and making it grow every year. It’s always on Father’s Day weekend.”
Despite a rainy start, the crowds continued to come.
“This weekend has gone really well,” said Wildeman. “Evenings have been great. Turnouts have been great. The lineups have been long.”
All money raised stays in the community.
“We make many, many donations to numerous different organizations and groups, minor hockey, minor soccer, the men’s shelter,” he said. “We spread our money around as best we can.”
Money from the event helps fund the Border City Express and BCC’s medical caravan. A special presentation was made to the Glenn Fagnan Legacy Foundation by the three ribbers for $ 1,500. Fagnon passed away in June, 2024 and was one of the visionaries behind the festival.
“Last year alone we did 25,000 trips supporting individuals through this community. That program is done by volunteer drivers,” said Sidoryk, noting Lloydminster Ribfest is growing into a major summer tradition.
Dan Gray – Meridian Source
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