The first Rotary Ribfest is underway at Okanagan Lake Park.

(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)

PENTICTON - Penticton is the place to be this weekend if you like food, art or just about anything Scottish.

The Rotary Club’s Ribfest is already underway in Okanagan Park, and promises to be a very busy place this weekend.

“It’s our first and hopefully to become an annual event," Rotary Chair for Volunteers Craig Dusel says. “Ribfest is organized by Rotary and supported by the community."

For three days, four professional 'Ribbers,' who make their livelihood driving their mobile rib cooking rigs to venues such as Ribfest, will provide patrons with a mouth-watering selection of ribs. On Sunday afternoon, a popular ballot will decide which of the four was this weekend’s crowd favourite.

“They take rib cooking very seriously. It’s a big deal to be voted number one,” Dusel says.

The Rotary Club hopes as many as 10,000 people show up at Okanagan Park over the course of the weekend.

Dusel says things look good, with fantastic weather, plenty of activities for kids, live music and a beer garden.

“We’ve had great support from the city, because this is one summer weekend in which there hasn’t been a consistent event taking place in the city,” he says.

Ribfest runs daily July 3 to 5 from 11a.m. until 9 p.m.

Ribfest runs throught the weekend. There's live entertainment, children's activities, a beverage garden and lots of ribs.

(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)

On Saturday, July 4, the Saint-Germain Cafe Gallery is presenting the first annual Saint Germain Cafe Gallery Art Brawl. Gallery owner Christopher Millin says two local contestants, Jenny Long and Tara Kelly, will  face off to see who can paint the best piece of artwork in one hour, as judged by the public in attendance.

Both paintings will then be auctioned off with a per centage of sales going to Peach City Radio’s Raise the Radio Fund.

“We hope to keep it going. It’s a great way to fund raise for local charities and we’re hoping to bring a little more traffic to the 400 block of Main Street on Saturday morning,” Millin says.

The event happens from 10:30 a.m.to 12:30 p.m.

Also taking place on Saturday is the Penticton Scottish Festival at King’s Park from 8 a.m until 8 p.m. A full slate of competitive events includes highland dance, heavy events and a stock dog competition. Numerous forms of Scottish entertainment take to the stage at the park beginning at 11 a.m.

Wrapping up the event is a Celtic Ceilidh, taking place from 5 to 8 p.m. at the beverage garden main stage in King’s Park. Two bands take to the stage with the Maritime tunes of Cod Gone Wild followed by Kinship, who were a crowd favourite last year. Admission for both bands is $10 per person or $20 for the family, cash at the gate.

Beginning tonight, July 3, at 7 p.m. Night Markets with the Stars begins with free concerts in Gyro Park. Tonight’s entertainment is Nikita Afonso / Aidan Mayes and Mandy Cole. There will be community market vendors and numerous local food vendors also on hand.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

News from © iNFOnews, 2015