Blues and Ribfest delivers despite Mother Nature

  • Big Pappy’s owner Carlos Hood checks on his prize-winning ribs during the 14th annual Blues and Ribfest in Canal Winchester.

    Photo by Theresa Garee

  • The tents began holding water during a storm that caused flash flooding at the Blues and Ribfest in late July. The storm caused the event to close early.


    Photo provided by Karen Stiles

  • Adley, 5, of Canal Winchester received a snow cone from Bubba’s Sno at the Canal Winchester Blues and Ribfest in late July.

    Photo by Theresa Garee

  • The Bachert/Perakis Duo entertained the attendees of the 14th annual Blues and Ribfest in Canal Winchester late July.

    Photo by Theresa Garee

By Theresa Garee<\n>South and Canal Winchester Messenger Editor

Canal Winchester hosted its 14th Blues and Ribfest on July 25 and July 26 in historic downtown Canal Winchester.

The event boasted over 20 different food trucks and four rib vendors, including the reigning champion Big Pappy’s BBQ. Owner Carlos Hood owns Big Pappy’s BBQ in Mt. Vernon and has competed at the Blues and Ribfest for 13 years.

He was confident he would win again this year, “I don’t think, I know.”

And his trophy solidified his confidence.

All the fun was brought to an abrupt and soggy stop on Saturday evening. With flash flood warnings buzzing on everyone’s phones, patrons left. Some attempted to huddle in the beer tent. The tent began to bulge and drop under the weight of the water causing the space to become unsafe.

“It was a very helpless feeling sitting there watching it all come down.” City Administrator Matt Peoples said in the Aug. 4 council meeting.

It was reported that 4.1 inches of rain fell in 90 minutes causing flooding to affect Ashbrook Village Court, Trine Road and more. Buildings like Town Hall and Johnson’s Ice Cream experienced water damage. The plan is to upgrade the piping along Trine Street from a 21 inch to a 30 inch.

“Thanks to the quick actions of Mayor Joe Steager, City Administrator Matt Peoples and community member Patrick Lynch, a situation that could have been quite serious was avoided as many festival patrons were trapped in the beer garden. They quickly slashed the tents in various places to allow the release of the collected water, relieving the pressure.” organizer Karen Stiles said.

“I know many people traveled to see young Blues artist Taj Farrant who was scheduled to play Saturday from 9 to 11 pm, but we can’t control Mother Nature”.

Stiles remains optimistic for 2026, “Plans are already underway so everyone should mark their calendar for July 24 and July 25.”

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