Judges chosen for 2015 VW Rib Fest

Van Wert Rib Fest information

Celebrity judges for this year’s Van Wert Rib Fest have been announced. They include Andy Lynch and Mark Kunz, both sports anchors for WTLW/WOSN in Lima; Alexandria Chapin and Joe Miller from WLIO-TV in Lima; Brent Harring, senior ticket account manager for the Fort Wayne TinCaps baseball team; Garrett Martz, vice president of sales and marketing for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants basketball team; and Steve Bigelow, a swimmer who competed in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Lynch has been with TV-44 since July 2005. Before coming to Lima, he was sports director at KTVF-TV in Fairbanks, Alaska, for four years and then served as sports information director of Athletes in Action in Xenia. Lynch married his wife, Leah, in January of 2006, and they adopted Nathan in December 2009 and Anna in April 2011 and are enjoying raising two wonderful kids together.

After spending the last several years in “that state up north”, Kunz is thrilled to return to the Buckeye State. A native of Toledo, Kunz was most recently news and sports director at WBKB-TV 11 in Alpena, Michigan, where he won a total of seven Michigan Association of Broadcasting Excellence Awards and was recognized by the state’s Associated Press bureau with an honorable mention award.

A graduate of Ohio University, Kunz began his professional career working as an editor and producer at WBNS TV-10 in Columbus before handling similar responsibilities at the Ohio News Network. When not at work, Kunz enjoys watching, playing, reading and talking about sports.

Chapin grew up in Celina and graduated from high school there in 2009. She always knew she wanted to work in broadcast and deliver the news. She attended The Ohio State University, where she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in journalism and media production. She loves dogs, so when she’s not at the station, she’s with her 4-year-old boxer, Roy. Free time is spent time with family, shopping with her mom, decorating and watching football. In the summer, she spends her days off boating on Grand Lake St. Marys. Chapin is bringing along her cameraman, Joe Miles, for support, as this is her first opportunity to be a rib judge.

Harring joined the TinCaps staff in October 2007 and loves living, working and playing in downtown Fort Wayne. He is the ticket manager responsible for several counties south and east of Fort Wayne, as well as several areas in that city. Outside of those duties, he will help out at Parkview Field during games, including the Kids’ Zone, batting cages, picnic areas, and promotions. Harring is a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and a 2007 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he was a sports management major. Prior to joining the TinCaps, Harring completed two internships in baseball, spending the summer of 2006 with the La Crosse Loggers of the collegiate Northwoods League and 2007 with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds of the Pacific Coast League.

Martz has lived his entire life in Indiana in Fort Wayne and nearby Angola, Indiana, and graduated from Trine University. His love of the NBA led him to a career with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. He is currently vice president of sales & marketing for the Mad Ants and has just completed his eighth season with the team.

Bigelow, a former Big Ten champion and all-American at Michigan, finished 10th in the 200-meter backstroke at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. He tried to return to the Olympics in 1992, but lost out in the trials, despite swimming a faster time than the one he had in 1988.

He lives in Grabill, Indiana, works for D.W. Brandenberger as an estimator and encourages his children: Kyle, 10, Lauren, 7, and Brooke, 2.

The ninth annual Van Wert Rib Fest will be held at the Van Wert County Fairgrounds on Friday, August 7, and Saturday, August 8.  In addition to celebrity judges, the general public can help select the People’s Choice Award for best ribs by completing a ballot at the Van Wert Area CVB information tent. It is expected that those wanting to vote will sample ribs from several of the vendors.

It’s not too late to get an entry in for with the Youth Wiffleball Tournament or the Cornhole Tournament.  More information can be found at www.vanwertribfest.com or by calling the CVB office at 419.238.9378.