
How much is it to get into Ribstock?
Ribstock admission is $7 for adults 21 & over, kids are free. Food, beverages, and entertainment activities are available for sale at the event.
The story of Ribstock BBQ Festival Omaha centers on the idea of bringing people together for a love of BBQ and community. The concept of hosting a local BBQ festival started with a simple conversation between MBA members and Ribstock Co-founders, Jeff Gehring and Kenny Engelmeyer. Jeff had suggested a BBQ event based his memorable experiences in the south. Kenny loved the idea and decided to take this concept to father and son professional BBQ-ing team, Steve and Jeff Gehring. Having experience with local fundraising, and after seeing Project Wee Care’s Distribution day, Steve and Jeff were so excited by what they saw, they couldn’t help but jump on board. From there, Ribstock was born!!
Ribstock 2023 continues the themes of business, community, and BBQ, which is truly what this event is all about. There have been so many people within the community and Millard Business Association that have contributed to this event and every year it continues to grow. Ribstock has generated thousands of dollars for our designated charities and we look forward to 2023 being another amazing year.
The originating concept behind Ribstock was to bring a premiere BBQ festival to the Omaha area with the added benefit of giving back to the community. This year we will be supporting the following programs.
Teammates Mentoring Program began in 1991 with the vision of University of Nebraska Head Football Coach Tom Osborne and his wife Nancy. Coach Osborne felt that the athletes in his program could make an impact on the middle school students, and twenty-two football players began meeting with middle school students in the Lincoln Public Schools. Of the 22 original mentees, 21 went on to graduate from high school while one left school early to pursue a successful Motocross career. Eighteen of the original mentees also obtained some form of post-secondary education.
The program has changed quite a bit since then. We now serve thousands of boys and girls across the Midwest, and our mentors come from all walks of life. One thing, however, remains the same— our mentors just have to be there. It’s that simple.
Western Douglas County Food Basket Program provides 500 food baskets to 350 families in Douglas County and surrounding areas. We assemble holiday baskets that are distributed to families with food insecurities during the holiday season and the winter break from school. The baskets are provided through the generous donations from the community and the hard work from our volunteers.
Project Wee Care is a charitable organization run by volunteers to benefit those in need in the Millard community. With the assistance of many community members and donations PWC is able to provide food, warm clothing, school supplies, and Christmas gifts to those in need. Since 2006 we have helped 2,800+ families; over 14,000 of our neighbors have received help. Over 140 PWC volunteers help on distribution day with over 600 volunteer hours.
Through the (efforts) of the Scholarship Fund, the MBA and MBCF recognizes the importance of education in our community. Since 2004, the Fund has distributed approximately $90,000 in scholarships to graduates from the Millard High Schools and VJ Skutt Catholic High School for academic excellence and extracurricular involvement.
People’s Choice Rib Contest – more details coming soon.
©2022 Ribstock MBA BBQ Festival