Despite the wet weekend weather the 2026 Sarnia Kinsmen Ribfest is being called an amazing success.
The three day event held over the Father's Day weekend attracted thousands to Centennial Park for tasty ribs and live music.
Sarnia Kinsmen Ribfest Co-Chair Jack Struck said the rain did impact attendance.
"Whenever you have rain, people don't come out," said Struck. "I would say attendance was down around 10 per cent."
In previous years, over 25,000 people would walk through the gates during the annual Father's Day tradition.
"We did have a lot of people come out with their umbrellas to fill up on all kinds of food and fun," said Struck. "The Kid Zone was unreal, I never seen so many kids standing in line waiting to get up and play. Big thanks to Bluewater Power for their sponsorship of that."
Last year's event raised over $68,000 local groups and charities, but figures from this year are still being tallied.
In a post to Facebook, the Sarnia Kinsmen Ribfest offered a big thank you to everyone who joined in the fun.
"A special thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating Jack's remarkable milestone of 50 years of dedicated service with the Kinsmen Club of Sarnia (Kin Canada). Jack, your commitment, leadership, and countless contributions have gone above and beyond. Words can never fully express our appreciation for everything you do. You are an inspiration to us all," read the post.
Meanwhile, the best ribs went to Route 55 BBQ, who also won Best Overall, Boss Hog's won Best Sauce, Bubba Louis won Best Chicken and the Jim Stokely's Peoples Choice was awarded to Jack the Ribber.
