Buck-It's to host inaugural Rockford Ribfest

Bring your bestie, boyfriend or brother to Buck-It's Bar this Saturday for the inaugural Rockford Ribfest!

Taste ribs prepared by 10 contestants, and take in a full day of family fun. The event will take place within and outside of Buck-It's Bar in downtown New Rockford, with 9th Street blocked off all day from Central Avenue to the alley.

The pit opens at 9 a.m., so attendees can watch the contestants smoke, baste and finish their ribs.

A light lunch/snack will be available for purchase starting at noon. Wings, with three different sauces, will be on the menu, along with fresh, hot fries. Add chili and/or cheese sauce to your fries for extra flavor.

Bring the kids from 2 p.m. - 8 p.m., to enjoy inflatable games sponsored by the New Rockford Eagles Club, and homemade cotton candy sponsored by Floyd Schulz of Schulz Plumbing and Heating in Carrington. There will be yard games to play as well.

Ribs will be served from 6 p.m. until gone, and each person with a wristband will get to choose five ribs.

Come in pairs! Each of you can take five ribs, and share them to experience all 10 entries. Then you each get to vote for your favorite; you don’t have to agree!

The field of contestants consists of several local favorites, with a few wild cards from outside the area. Jimmy Marsaa and Hunter Wetzel will be teaming up at one station. Other locals competing include Mike Jacobson, John Allmaras, Brad Herman and Jacob Lommen.

Tommy DeLong, New Rockford resident and executive chef at Spirit Lake Casino’s The View restaurant, has also entered.

A few out-of-area grillmasters aim to keep the competition interesting. Darren Wilcox, winner of the 6th Annual Ribfest in Devils Lake on July 24, will be serving up his award-winning ribs.

Chad Thurmer, a Minnesota hunter who many locals know from his time in New Rockford at Buck-It’s, has added his name to the list. Ryder Weischedal of Jamestown is the other “outsider” in the pit.

The 10th and final contestants are Erik Carlson of Sheyenne and his teammate Steve Klocke of Fargo.

Two prizes are up for grabs, each worth $250. The “judges’ choice” award will go to the contestant(s) whose ribs rise to the top for the six judges, who will remain unnamed until after the competition. The ribs will be judged for their taste, texture, appearance and tenderness.

The second prize is “People’s Choice,” decided by a written ballot. Each wristband holder can choose his or her favorite from among the 10, with the grillmaster receiving the most votes, taking home the title and $250.

Wristbands are on sale now at Buck-It’s. Cost is $17 when purchased in advance, with a free drink card thrown in as a bonus. Wristbands purchased the day of the competition will cost $20 each. Only 250 wristbands will be sold.

Buck-It’s will also be serving pulled pork with Lynn Yri’s famous beans, and Justin McDonald’s delicious homemade coleslaw. Cost for that meal is $10 for adults or $7 for kids.

All proceeds from the event will go to Wonder Lanes. This is the fourth major fundraising event held for the bowling alley since June.

“We hope it’s a family-friendly affair,” said NRABC Executive Director Amanda Hegland.

“Justin is going all out to plan this event.”

Hegland said Wednesday that the NRABC continues to work towards a fall reopening of Wonder Lanes, with no specific date set as of yet.

The new equipment and lanes have been installed, and Hegland spent a week in training, learning how to use the new string system and having some fun in the process.

“After training, I’m so excited for it,” she said. The system not only offers traditional 300 game bowling, but also includes a variety of fun games for players of all ages. Many of them are geared towards getting kids engaged in learning how to bowl.

Watch the Transcript for an opening announcement in the coming weeks.