By JARED ORZOLEK

orzolek@crescent-news.com

Plenty of saucy fingers and cheeks could be seen Saturday night in downtown Defiance as the second annual rib fest took place.

Thousands of folks packed downtown for the event, which was organized by the Defiance Development and Visitors Bureau (DDVB), and featured 12 rib vendors smoking up nearly 6,000 pounds of ribs.

Picnic tables lined the streets of Defiance for the event and music by Wally and the Beavs along with Midlife Oasis was performed at the northern end of the festival area.

The 6,000 pounds of ribs brought in for the event topped the 3,000 pounds consumed by patrons of last year's event, which were sold out by 7 p.m.

At the 2008 event, some rib vendors had already sold their quota of ribs before the festival concluded at 11 p.m.

Those who attended the event were pleased with the quality of the food and the atmosphere offered at the festival.

Angela Gineman and her son, Michael, 11, arrived at the rib fest before the gates opened at 4:30 p.m.

the Ginemans attended the event with Michael's grandparents and uncle.

"We got here and stood in line before they opened. There are a lot more people here than last year. I was hoping they would do it again and I hope they do it again next year," Mrs. Gineman said.

The Ginemans were sitting at a picnic table enjoying ribs and French fries and thinking about which rib vendor to sample next.

Michael Gineman said he sampled ribs from Bud's Restaurant, the AMVETS, Defiance Fire Department and others.

"Bud's were the best I think so far. They are all very good. I am having a lot of fun," he said.

Also enjoying some ribs at one of the picnic tables was Amanda Barton and her daughter Kaitlyn Rittenhouse, 9, of Defiance.

"The ribs are good -- very good," Barton said.

"We came here last year and it's much better this year. We are going to stay for awhile and listen to the band."

Others who attended the event cited the large crowd brought downtown by the festival as a benefit.

Stan Dajczak and his daughter, Jenna, 4, were enjoying a full rack of ribs at the event.

"Everybody else has a rib fest and we needed one too. I am happy that they have been able to bring this into town," Dajczak said.

"The ribs taste great."

Six commercial vendors sold ribs at the event, including Nickerson's Just Smok'n BBQ for U, Charlie's, Kissner's Buds and AMVETS. Non-profit vendors included the Friends of the Library, United Way, Ravens, the Volunteer Connection, the Defiance Police Officer's Association and the Defiance Fire Department.

Grilling up ribs for the United Way, which was assisted by the State Bank, was Ken Wetstein of Defiance.

"These ribs have been roasting all day. We finish them with some charcoal and some hickory," Wetstein said.

"A lot of our crew has been here since 8 a.m. and we started roasting at 9 a.m. We just try to keep them cooking even and keep putting on the sauce. We are trying to go with low heat."

Wetstein joked that he would not give away the secret ingredients in the sauced used by the United Way/State Bank crew, but explained that the sauce was provided free of charge by Defiance resident J.J. Mansfield.

DDVB's proceeds from the event will be used to supply fireworks for the 2009 Fourth of July event.

Admission was $2, with $15 buying a full rack of ribs, $8 buying a half rack and $3 getting hungry fest-goers a two rib sample. Pulled pork sandwiches, cole slaw and beverages were also available.

The Optimist Club, Kiwanis Club, Defiance Police Department, Defiance Chamber of Commerce and Defiance High School football squad also contributed to the make the event possible.