We would like to take this opportunity on behalf of our board of directors, and the 500-plus downtown businesses and services that are our members, to thank the citizens of the City of Greater Sudbury for your overwhelming support to our 5th Annual Downtown Sudbury Ribfest.

This three-day street festival, held over the Labour Day weekend (Aug. 31 - Sept. 2), is now the largest community and family festival in the City of Greater Sudbury and Northern Ontario.

This year it attracted 40,000 to 45,000 people from the city, Northern Ontario and visitors from across the province.

In fact, the Downtown Sudbury Ribfest now ranks in the top five rib festivals in Ontario. That is including long-running festivals in much larger communities (such as Burlington and London) that also run longer.

Thanks to continued strong community support, in only our fifth year we were able to offer a strong variety of activities for the family.

This includes six professional rib teams, a family fun zone featuring free face painting, free make and take crafts, free wagon rides, Niagara Inflatables, demonstrations, 23 local musical acts, and a large car and motorcycle show that wound its way up Durham Street and down Elgin, with over 200 vehicles on Saturday.

It is thanks to the support from our citizens, our many sponsors and partners, and the more than 125 volunteers, that this event has become the success it has.

Proceeds from this event will be donated to the Canadian Red Cross Sudbury area.

We look forward to bringing you the sixth annual Downtown Sudbury Ribfest during Labour Day weekend 2013.

Maureen Luoma, Downtown Sudbury executive director
Jeff MacIntyre, Downtown Sudbury chair