Every July, the campus of North Central State College comes alive with the sound of music and the smell of barbecue sauce. That tradition will continue this week during the 29th annual Rock-n-Ribs.
The three-day event that kicks off on Thursday attracts thousands of area residents with its combination of local and national music acts and award-winning ribs and other food vendors.
According to Keith Stoner, Director of Marketing for NCSC, the event is the largest fund-raiser each year for the North Central State College Foundation scholarship fund. Stoner said that being able to help the students is what keeps them motivated to make the event better each year. “For the 2014-2015 academic year, we’ve awarded over $100,000 in scholarships to NC State students,” Stoner said.
This year’s music lineup includes national acts Phil Vassar on Thursday, The Tubes featuring Fee Waybill on Friday and Spin Doctors on Saturday. Other acts scheduled to take the stage include local bands jazz band Sy’Velt, classic rock band House of Cane, rock band Red Ball Jets, classic rock band Montage and Journey tribute band Departure.
Spin Doctors is an alternative rock band that formed in New York City in the early 1990s and are best known for their hits “Two Princes” and “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” from 1992’s “Pocket Full of Kryptonite.” Over the past two decades, the band has released six studio albums, including its most recent effort, 2013’s “If the River Was Whiskey.”
The Tubes featuring Fee Waybill have been playing together since the late 1960, but the band is best known for their 1983 MTV and radio hit “She’s a Beauty,” which reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Top 40 chart. Known for their exciting and often controversial live shows, the band was one of the pioneers of music video years before MTV introduced the medium to the mainstream.
Country singer/songwriter Phil Vassar has hit the Top 5 seven times with songs like “In A Real Love” and “Just Another Day in Paradise.” The Virginia native has released eight albums, won two ASCAP Songwriter of the Year trophies and runs his own Rodeowave Entertainment label.
Six local rib vendors will be joined by a rib vendor from Arkansas (Porky Chicks BBQ) in offering their wares and competing for prizes: Big Pappy’s BBQ, LLC; Bogey’s Smokin’ BBQ; Porky Chicks BBQ; Smokin’ Bros BBQ; Smokin Joes Hog Wild Barbeque; Mix Blues Original; and Squeals on Wheels BBQ.
“Barbecue is very popular and there are many talented barbecue chefs who are thrilled to show off their barbecue specialty. We are thrilled to have so many local rib vendors participate at Rock-n- Ribs again this year,” said Gale Morgan, event organizer.
Awards will be handed out to the rib vendors on Friday and the People’s Choice Rib Award will be presented on Saturday.
Doors open at 5 p.m. each night and tickets are $10 each night. Parking is free. No bottles, cans, coolers, pets or lawn chairs are permitted. There are chairs in front of the stage and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information, check out the Rock-n-Ribs 2014 website and follow them on Facebook.
