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Can DNA tests free ex-Akron captain?
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Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
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Fourth of July festival draws families to downtown Akron for barbecue, music and fun
By Connie Bloom
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Friday, Jul 04, 2008
The crowds were thin under the swollen clouds, but the enthusiasm was thick as sauce.
Clara Hoffert, 4, noshed on a bone as big as her arm at Thursday's inaugural Rib, White and Blue Festival in downtown Akron.
''She's dressed for the weather,'' said her dad, Ethan Hoffert of Akron, as he gently fed his 1-year-old, Lela, a tiny taste of the tender meat.
The festival, which runs through Saturday, features all the usual suspects — ribs, ribs and more ribs; specialties from New Orleans; roasted corn on the cob; bloomin' onions; fries; funnel cakes; ice cream; beer — and ribs, ribs and more ribs.
Cherie Hart-Spicer, 28, and her husband, John Spicer, 29, were conducting semi-scientific experiments on the bones.
The Springfield Township couple planned to try them all.
The two agreed they would buy a sampler at every booth, vote, then revisit the winner for a bigger haul. Sounds easy, but the decision was likely to be a hair tearer. She likes them ''smoky and sweet with a little bit of a kick,'' and he likes them on flaming.
Vendors were pumped for a fabulous Fourth of July against a backdrop of Cats on Holiday playing under the band shell at Lock 3 Park.
Hours are noon to 10 tonight and noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, with free admission before 1 p.m. and $5 after that.This afternoon's musical lineup begins with the Zydeco Kings at 3, Mo' Mojo Mama at 4:30 and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band at 7:30, followed by fireworks on the Innerbelt at 9:45 p.m.
Even local restaurants were gearing up, with Ohio Brewing in the old O'Neil's building firing up two grills on the sidewalk under the helm of cooks John Jackson and Eric Foster. Most vendors were charging about $20 a slab or $12 for a half slab.
''They're lip-smackin', tongue-teasin', bone-lickin', good,'' hawked Ron Conaway of Texas Pit Barbecue. He and his crews travel festivals half the year, leaving Magnolia, Texas, in April.
''We're doing 17 fests this summer,'' he said, and he anticipates selling 35,000 pounds of ribs this season. He has a system for winning trophies, by adapting his recipes to local tastes. When judges speak, he listens.
Real Texas barbecue is distinguished by its dry rub, with sauce served on the side. Instead of hickory, Conaway cooks them over oak, maple and cherry wood for a sweeter, mellower, lighter smoke.
Ribs naysayers can find other exotic flavors at L&E's Family Concession, where Larry Stewart and his wife, Effie, are featuring the taste of New Orleans.
They promise the red beans and rice is the real thing. Stewart, a former truck driver, says he reinvented himself after the company folded.
''You just got to know what to do, how to do it and when to do it,'' he said. ''That's my philosophy on everything.''
Connie Bloom can be reached at 330-996-3568 or cbloom@thebeaconjournal.com.
The crowds were thin under the swollen clouds, but the enthusiasm was thick as sauce.
Get the full article here.
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