LAURIE WEIR

The Smiths Falls and District Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for its annual Ribfest, an event anticipated by residents and visitors alike. 

This year, the festival will find a new home at Centennial Park, a scenic location that promises to enhance the experience for all attendees. In its first two years, Ribfest was hosted at Settlers Ridge Mall (not enough space) and Lower Reach Park (limited space and a lot of dust), but the shift to Centennial Park marks an exciting new chapter with the ability to showcase one of the town’s most beautiful parks. 

As preparations ramp up, efforts to ensure a successful event are in full swing. 

Leslie Richardson, manager of the Smiths Falls and District Chamber of Commerce and host of the event, said she was a bit panicked with amount of goose droppings that needed to be cleaned up.

On Thursday morning, just one day ahead of the opening day, Richardson expressed her gratitude for the town’s assistance in taking care of that messy situation. 

“The town’s help with cleaning up the goose poop ahead of the weekend has been fantastic,” Richardson shared. “It really takes an entire community and all its partners (like the Saumure Group of Companies setting up a fenced-in area for the stage) to pull off something like Ribfest, and we’re so thankful for all the partners involved.”

She said they are “basically setting up restaurants in the park,” with a need for totes of water. They are also hosting a makers’ market and farmers’ market on Friday — not to mention making way for a huge waterslide. 

When asked about park maintenance and cleanliness, Stephanie Clark the town’s director of community services, said, “The town does maintain the parks to the highest standard possible; garbage is picked up daily throughout the summer, and the docks are power washed regularly. Our staff also rake and sweep high traffic areas as often as they can, in particular ahead of larger events such as Ribfest.”

Richardson boasted about the beauty of Centennial Park and the ability to show off this incredible asset.

“It’s absolutely beautiful here,” Richardson said. “I want to showcase what a beautiful park we have in Smiths Falls for this event. Parking may be a bit of an issue, but people can park on the streets and visit the downtown while here. There will be an area set up for accessible parking in the park.”

The behind-the-scenes logistics involve more than just cleaning up the park. Questions have arisen about the charges levied by the town for the use of equipment like picnic tables. 

Clark provided clarity, noting the chamber is a separate entity from the town.

“The chamber of commerce is an independent organization,” Clark explained. “Though the town very much values the opportunity to work alongside the chamber to promote tourism opportunities like Ribfest, the two organizations are distinct. As such, the chamber, like any other group, is subject to the fees outlined in our bylaw when they rent municipal assets or use municipal property for events.”

These fees aren’t unique to the chamber. Other local entities, such as the Downtown Business Association (DBA), the Railway Museum, and Heritage House Museum, are also required to pay for the use of municipal equipment during their events. 

Julia Crowder, Smiths Falls’ economic development and tourism coordinator, said, “Any user group seeking to host events on municipal property is subject to associated costs as outlined in our fees and charges bylaw. These fees are important for tracking the cost of supporting events and generating revenue to replace municipal assets.”

While some may question why the town doesn’t provide these services for free, especially for events that boost local tourism, Crowder highlighted the importance of fiscal responsibility. “Providing in-kind support or deferring revenues would not allow the town to accurately track these costs,” she noted. “However, through the town’s Community Grant Policy, event organizers can include the cost of rental fees as part of their funding requests to offset these expenses.”

When asked whether the grant money could be better spent on marketing rather than covering costs like equipment rentals, Crowder emphasized the broader benefits of the grants. “Community grants are the municipality’s way of providing financial support in a fair and transparent manner to those who organize events and activities that attract both residents and visitors,” she said. “Tourism and economic development is a team sport, and the municipality can’t do everything. Supporting outside organizers through these grants means we can foster new ideas and leverage their contributions.”

Crowder also pointed out that the economic development and tourism department already allocates a significant portion of its budget to tourism initiatives and marketing. 

“This includes funding the chamber of commerce to deliver tourism and marina services at Victoria Park, as well as digital, print, and radio marketing efforts,” Crowder explained. “In addition, the DBA uses its operational budget, funded by a tax levy, to support marketing, downtown beautification, and events that attract visitors.”

The town also actively promotes events like Ribfest through various resources, including social media, the online events calendar, and the weekly “What’s Happening in Smiths Falls?” newsletter. 

“These are all part of our efforts to attract visitors and support the vibrant community events that make Smiths Falls a great place to live and visit,” Crowder said.

For more on the Ribfest, visit the website. Action gets started Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., runs Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and wraps up Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Check out the kids’ zone, featuring a giant water slide, and live entertainment.