Overcast Skies Don’t Dull Rib Fest Event

By BOBBIE GREEN

The Progress

The overcast weather on Saturday, Sept. 10 did not dull the aroma of BBQ. The Annual Rib Fest at the Casablanca Resort went on as usual; starting on Friday afternoon and ending Sunday with the People’s Choice Award for Best BBQ.

There were three award-winning BBQ vendors in attendance at the festival to stimulate one’s tastebuds and compete for the coveted crowd favorite award. These included Austin’s Texas Lightning BBQ, Texas Outlaw BBQ, and Chicago BBQ Company.

The votes cast in the People Choice Award were tallied on Sunday afternoon. The first place went to Austin Texas Lighting this year which will receive $2,000 in prize money. Chicago BBQ Co was second and Texas Outlaw BBQ took third place.

There were plenty of activities for locals and visitors to enjoy during the festival. The beer garden located in the Event Center (tent) is always a favorite.

Each afternoon there were children’s watermelon eating contests offering plenty of prizes. There were also corn hole boards for the youngsters to play. And there was live music in the Skydome Lounge every the evening.

On Saturday the local school principals competed in a watermelon eating contest, for a prize of $1,000 to be used in programs for their school. The winner this year was Virgin Valley High School acting principal Martine Lara. Many students came to support their principals.

Mesquite Police and Fire Rescue Departments also competed in the watermelon eating contest. The competition was not between individuals but as teams. When all was done, it was the Fire & Rescue Department team that won this year including Zebulon Jensen, Jason Tullis, Tom Limov and Eleiecer Pinto. This team also received $1,000 in winnings for use by their department.

Shawn and Sherron McClure came from St. George to enjoy the Rib Fest. It was their first time attending.
“We are having a good time here,” said Shawn. “We love the Chicago Ribs!”

Steve and Charlene Bougon, originally from New Orleans, are staying in Las Vegas right now. The couple were sitting under their SUV hatch back door for shelter to keep out of the light rain while enjoying their ribs. Steve said it was their first time to Mesquite. “We like to go to all the festivals and enjoy the food,” he said. “We come prepared for all weather.”