The people and the celebrities have spoken in the 31st Annual Northwest Ohio Rib-Off held this weekend at the Lucas County Fairgrounds.
Winner of the Peoples Choice Award for best local barbecuer was Deet’s BBQ of Maumee while the national winner was Butch’s BBQ of Mt. Laurel, N.J. The winner of the celebrity judging contest for Best in Northwest Ohio was Hollywood Casino Toledo.
The Rib-Off, sponsored by The Blade, wrapped up today with Cedar Creek Church Day.
Eleven participating barbecuers competed. The event featured rocker Ted Nugent on Friday and founding member of STYX Dennis DeYoung on Saturday, along with local bands Bruce Sims and the Jam Band, In Theory, and East River Drive.
Mike Mori, the event director and director of sales for The Blade, said attendance for the four-day event was about 60,000 people.