Saturday night, the last night of the Rock-n-Ribs festival, was an important night for Kevin Pierce. Pierce, of Mansfield, loves competing in ribs festivals and has been competing for 21 years. He and the Smokin’ Joes team have won first place in the People’s Choice award over five times since 2002.
They compete as much as 25 times a year, mostly in the summer. Most of the Rib Cook-offs are in Ohio, but one Smokin’ Joes’ stand is competing in Chicago.
“I stumbled into this when I was a kid. Obviously I fell in love with it because I am still doing this. I just like doing it. Setting things up, cooking, waiting for people to come in. You get an adrenaline rush when you see the crowds growing,” explained Pierce. “The People’s Choice is the ultimate award. It’s the one that counts.”
The People’s Choice was awarded Saturday night following a performance by the Mansfield native band The Ohio Express. When the award was given, Pierce hurried back to the stand to feed the members of the band for free.
The main attraction at Rock-n-Ribs for the evening was Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Anticipation grew as fans awaited the bluesy rock and roll guitar player from Louisiana.
The Rock-n-Ribs Festival is an annual event held in the North Central State College parking lot. All proceeds of the event go toward the North Central State College Foundation and are used for student scholarships.
