August 14, 2013

Ribfest a huge success

By Olivia Sundeen    
Farmer Intern

The best ribs in the west have come and gone, but the rave reviews are here to stay.
The 2013 Best of the West Ribfest was the largest Watford City has seen yet. With an estimate of 5,000 pounds of ribs and over 2,000 people in attendance, the Ribfest Committee couldn’t be more thrilled with the outcome.
“It went awesome,” stated Jessie Scofield, committee member. “This is the biggest Ribfest we have ever had.”
Narrowly beating Montana-Dakota Utilities Co., the winner of the last two years, was Whiting/Monjores. Their proceeds will go to Relay for Life.
“From the get-go, we just decided if we by chance won anything the proceeds would go to Relay For Life,” stated Jenny Monsen of Monjores. “Between winning first place and our free-will donation bake sale items, we were able to raise $3,100. It’s pretty incredible we were able to raise that much in just one afternoon.”
Coming in second was Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. Outlaws was awarded the Showmanship award for their clever decor. And the People’s Choice Award went to Absorbent and Safety’s Solutions.
“It was great to see the friendly competition,” stated Scofield. “We didn’t sell out so fast this year, so that was good.”
According to Scofield, Main Street was busy all day. With kids rushing from inflatable to inflatable in the Kids Zone, adults meandering through the different vendors, and teams working hard to prepare their ribs, it was a beautifully busy day.
“The initial setup was chaos,” stated Mary Gumke, Chamber of Commerce secretary. “But after that it was fun to just enjoy the day.”
With 20 teams serving a minimum of 175 pounds of ribs, most hungry attendees were able to be fed.
“It was a really busy day,” stated Chef Todd, executive chef for Cashwise. “But I kept saying, we are not here for a long time, just a good time. So let’s make the most of it.”
And just like that, the ribs were gone and the fun was over. The only thing left was the full bellies, smiling faces and the rave reviews.
As the committee begins to look toward the 2014 Best of the West Ribfest, Scofield wants to remind everyone they are always looking for volunteers.
“We are always looking to make it better,” stated Scofield. “This year’s event couldn’t have gone as awesome as it did without the great volunteers helping and the great cooperation. We are really happy with how it went.”

WATFORD CITY WEATHER