Chatham Ribfest organizers are looking to keep the mess to just the sauce this coming weekend.
The event, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, is looking to avoid the 50 person scuffle during Retrofest back in May that resulted in two teens being arrested. One of those teens ended up being charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
"We're tightening up (the gates), there is a zero-tolerance policy. We are not really allowing those things to sort of happen again," said Ribfest organizer Chris Glassford. "We do have a curfew at night, around 8 o'clock or 9 o'clock. We are going to start to phase out anyone that doesn't have an adult with them under the legal drinking age. Just from the general area...we want it to be safe and fun for everyone."
Glassford stresses the importance of having a safe and family-friendly event, and said, "We are completely understanding families might want to come and hang out and watch some of the bands that they love and enjoy. And we are okay with that. It's the people coming to hang out that are not necessarily here to have fun, they are here to cause chaos, we are not really fond of that."
In addition to tightening the gates and a curfew, Glassford said Ribfest is also looking at some other security measures for the three-day event.
"We are looking at potential searches at the gate. So if you are carrying a bag bigger than a certain size that might happen. You may get asked to show the contents of that bag. We are just trying to search for anything that might be contraband or weapons," said Glassford.
The Ribfest team is trying to limit any illegal activity this weekend, so this includes increasing the police presence.
"Through the course of a weekend we see 30 to 40 thousand people," said Glassford. "It's definitely something I think is going to be a really busy time. And having these measures in place, we are trying to keep the fun available for everybody, cause it's not really fun when things are going wrong around you. It really kills the mood."
Not killing the mood are the many activities Ribfest will have going on over the three days. That includes a family zone with activities like face painting, donkey bounce and live performances. There will also be Art in the Park, various vendors, multiple bands performing and seven award-winning ribbers.
Ribfest runs from Friday to Sunday and admission to the event is free to attend.