Marvin Herring, of St. Augustine, cooks during last year's Gulfcoast Rhythm and Ribfest. HT ARCHIVE
One of Manatee County’s largest annual events has undergone some pretty big changes. The 9th annual Gulf Coast Rhythm & Ribfest will take place this Friday through Sunday at McKechnie Field and is free. For years, the county fairgrounds in Palmetto held Ribfest during April and attendees paid about $15 to enter.
"We made the event free this year so that more families could come out and enjoy the great festivities," says organizer Patrick Carnegie, president of United Community Centers. "It’s still a fundraiser for United Community Centers and donations at the event are welcomed. Also, all of the drink sales at the event will go to benefit the community centers.
"Officials from fairgrounds informed us that they were not interested in hosting anymore events at the fairgrounds with concerts so we needed to find another location," he continues. "The Pirates and city of Bradenton have been long time supporters of the center and welcome quality events like Ribfest to be hosted in the city. We are thrilled to be hosting such a great event in the city of Bradenton and McKechnie field. They have been great to work with and we are looking forward to working with them to continue to grow and expand Ribfest for many years."
As for the barbecue, expect another first-rate selection with award-winning grilling teams from across the nation. Featured at this year’s event will be the Carolina Rib King of South Carolina, who recently won first place on the TLC show “BBQ Pitmasters.” Other rib teams participating include local favorites like J&J Barbecue and T&L BBQ & Soul Food.
The family-friendly event also features a kids’ zone Saturday and Sunday with video games, bounce houses, building activities, youth bands and hay rides. The 8 p.m. opening night fireworks show is by Zambelli, the famed Pennsylvania-based company that created the thrilling explosions in the sky earlier this year at the Riverwalk Regatta. Here are the entertainment headliners.
John Michael Montgomery / COURTESY PHOTO
Friday
6 p.m. Lauren Mitchell Band: Local favorite is a compelling soul singer with a sharp backing band.
8:30 p.m. Billy Rice: Local country-rock band with plenty of chops knows how to please a crowd of any size.
Saturday
4:30 p.m. Biscuit Miller: A gifted bassist and positively charming front man, Miller wowed the audience at the inaugural Bradenton Blues Festival a few years back and has continued to impress with funky performances at subsequent dates in the area.
8:30 p.m. John Michael Montgomery: During the 1990s singer averaged almost a No. 1 country single per year with his last big hit coming about a decade ago with the song “Letters from Home.”
Sunday
5 p.m. Eric Darius: Saxophonist and composer from Tampa is a smooth jazz star who has elated attendees at previous Rhythm & Ribfests.
6:30 p.m. Joe: Joseph Thomas, aka Joe, is an R&B singer-songwriter best known for the 2001 No. 1 hit “Stutter.”
Gulf Coast Rhythm & Ribfest
5-10 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday; 1-8 p.m. Sunday; McKechnie Field, 1611 9th St. W., Bradenton; free; 746-7470; gulfcoastribfest.com
