It鈥檚 not a stretch to envision the O鈥橩eefe family sitting down at their ranch at the northern end of Vernon鈥檚 Swan Lake for a hearty meal of spare ribs and fixings in the late 19th or early 20th century.

The O鈥橩eefes, however, probably didn鈥檛 envision thousands of people flocking to their property to enjoy the same thing.

Vernon Ribfest moved to the historic ranch for its three-day celebration of ribs July 7-9.

鈥淲ho could ever say anything but wonderful things about the location, it鈥檚 so beautiful out there,鈥� said Ribfest spokesperson Elaine Gallacher, busy Monday, July 10, packing up and moving out boxes from the site.

鈥淚t鈥檚 part of Vernon鈥檚 heritage and seems like a wonderful collaboration to bring both Ribfest and O鈥橩eefe together.

Vernon Ribfest 2023 featured three teams of ribbers along with entertainment and many other fun activities for families and Ribfest goers to enjoy.

Gallacher would love to return to the historic ranch in 2024.

鈥淲e鈥檒l have that discussion between the ribbers and O鈥橩eefe and ourselves, go over what things worked and what didn鈥檛,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd see if there鈥檚 the possibility of returning next year. It鈥檚 a nice location for it.鈥�

Ribfest had hoped to attract 12,000 people for the three-day celebration of the lip-smacking godliness that are ribs. Gallacher said Monday she didn鈥檛 have the final numbers.

鈥淭he crowds really enjoyed themselves,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 seen the reviews but people have been telling me there鈥檚 been nothing but positive reviews on social media. It鈥檚 wonderful that the community comes out and supports it. It鈥檚 something they really want and really enjoy.鈥�

roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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