The Van Wert County Courthouse

Friday, Mar. 29, 2024

Lot of activities planned for VW Rib Fest

Van Wert independent/submitted information

With good food and music, as well as plenty of other activities, area residents should make plans to attend this year’s ninth annual Van Wert Rib Fest. The 2015 event will be held Friday, August 7, and Saturday, August 8, in conjunction with the annual Highway 127 Yard Sale.

While there's a lot going on this coming weekend, ribs are still what the Van Wert Rib Fest is all about. (VW independent file photo)
While there’s a lot going on this coming weekend, ribs are still what the Van Wert Rib Fest is all about. (VW independent file photo)

There will be lots of great food, great music and great fun during this year’s edition of Rib Fest, according to Van Wert Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Director Larry Lee.

Admission to Rib Fest is $5 Friday evening and Saturday evening after 5 p.m. Gates will open at 5 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday (click here for a schedule of events).

While most people anticipate the food and music, there are other events taking place at Rib Fest that might be of interest to others. There will be a Wiffleball Home Run Derby on
Friday evening. Registration starts at 5 p.m. Friday on the Wiffleball Tournament field.
There is a $10 fee per entry and proceeds from the Home Run Derby will go to the
Van Wert Acme baseball team.

On Saturday at 8 a.m. a Youth Wiffleball Tournament will begin. This will be round-robin-plus tournament for teams whose members are 16 and under. Early registration is required, with the deadline being August 4. There are still open spots so get some friends together and get registered. An entry fee of $80 per team is required, with proceeds benefiting the Van Wert girls’ softball team.

Beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday there will be a cornhole tournament. Same day registrations will be accepted, starting at 11 Saturday morning. This will be a single- or double-elimination tournament, depending on the number of teams. There is a $20 per team entry fee. The winning team will get 50 percent of the entry fees, while the second-place team will get 25 percent of entry fees.

At 4:30 p.m. Saturday, the Van Wert YWCA will be sponsoring live pig races. Spectators will be encouraged to select a favorite pig, place bets and cheer on the porkers as they race toward the finish line. The YWCA will use proceeds from the pig races for its Transitional Living Program.

The United Way of Van Wert County will hold its annual “When Pigs Fly” event at 7 p.m. Saturday. Spectators are given a chance to purchase a (rubber) pig with hope of winning a substantial amount of money. The pigs will be dropped over a target area, with prizes going to the
pig that lands closest to the target, as well as the poor little piggy that lands farthest away from the 
target. Proceeds from this event will go to support the many agencies that rely on the
United Way for funding.

For more information on any of these activities or questions about the rib fest in general, go to www.vanwertribfest.com or call the Van Wert Area Convention and Visitors Bureau office at 419.238.9378.

POSTED: 07/31/15 at 6:58 am. FILED UNDER: News