'I'm licking my lips through this mask': Ribfest returns
After more than 18 months of waiting, an annual festival at Victoria Park is underway.
Ribfest is back.
It is the first summer festival in the park since the pandemic began.
For those taking part, the sight required a double-take.
And -- this time -- not because of savoury ribs and chicken cooking on a grill.
No this year, the most remarkable sight is this site itself.
It's the first open public festival in London’s Victoria Park since the pandemic began.
Arriving at Ribfest 2021 Sadie Pridham and her mother Julie still thought it was all a post-lockdown mirage until they dug into what they came for.
“It does it really does. It is much needed,” Sadie exclaimed to CTV News London.
Julie and Sadie Pridham enjoy freshly grilled ribs at Ribfest in Victoria Park in London, Ont. on Thursday, July 29, 2021. (Sean Irvine / CTV News)
Julie and Sadie Pridham enjoy freshly grilled ribs at Ribfest in Victoria Park in London, Ont. on Thursday, July 29, 2021. (Sean Irvine / CTV News)
But getting to this point has not been easy. The show’s organizer, Doug Hillier, pushed through while other summer festivals opted to hold off until restrictions eased.
“We’re doing this exactly the way they wanted and that took a while to do. I can laugh about it now, but man it was not a laughable situation. But now here we are and it was worth it!”
The changes include tables spread apart to ensure physically distancing and a crowd limit of 1,400 in a gated site expected to be full this weekend.
“So not just you are comfortable, but the person next to you that may be more concerned will not be inconvenienced and we all make room.”
Middlesex-London Health Unit inspectors are at Ribfest. They have a vested interest in ensuring everything goes right.
“We’re applying the COVID restrictions relative to social distancing and masking. You’ll notice a lot of the operators are changing up how they present services with plastic screens,” stated Randy Walker during his second-last day as a health inspector before retiring.
Ribber Mark Mayor at London, Ont. Ribfest in Victoria Park on Thursday, July 29, 2021. (Sean Irvine / CTV News)
Ribber Mark Mayor at London, Ont. Ribfest in Victoria Park on Thursday, July 29, 2021. (Sean Irvine / CTV News)
For most ribbers, including Mark Mayor, this is the first event they’ve done since 2019 that hasn’t been drive-thru only.
“This is probably our sixth show, first one in person with all the vendors. Everyone’s been able to come out to the rig, it is great.”
But, the sight of Ribfest is most welcome by a London woman spending a rare day off with her daughter.
Annalie Cavanes, left, is seen with her daughter Karyl and Ribfest in London, Ont. on Thursday, July 29, 2021. (Sean Irvine / CTV News)
Annalie Cavanes, left, is seen with her daughter Karyl and Ribfest in London, Ont. on Thursday, July 29, 2021. (Sean Irvine / CTV News)
Annalie Cavanes has been on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight for 18 months.
“I work in a long-term care nursing home. It’s nice to be out and feel the fresh air and see people.”
Ribfest runs through holiday Monday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.