‘It was very unnerving’ to have Ribfest in Lethbridge’s Galt Gardens, says organizer

Ribfest has become a popular stop for Lethbridge residents over the last few years. Last weekend, the event was hosted at Galt Gardens for the third time, but according to festival director Les Gagne, this year, they had some unexpected visitors.

Gagne says while visitation to the event was actually up this year, the behaviour of some, has changed.

“We noticed that in the first two years, people that were there were somewhat passive, but this year, they were very aggressive,” Gagne said.

WATCH: Ribfest heats up in Lethbridge for the second year

Lethbridge police tell Global News they arrested a man who was carrying a large knife at the event. In addition, a member of the Ribfest staff also faced a potentially dangerous situation.

“Another guy was walking around completely out of his mind and then basically pulled out a gun and pointed it in the face of one of our female staff members,” Gagne said. “We found out later it was a toy gun, but you don’t think that and you’re not expecting that sort of behaviour when you’re at a rib festival.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Another guy was walking around completely out of his mind and then basically pulled out a gun and pointed it in the face of one of our female staff members," Gagne said. "We found out later it was a toy gun, but you don't think that and you're not expecting that sort of behaviour when you're at a rib festival."

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That man now faces a number of charges, including possession of a weapon.

Police were called to Galt Gardens eight times during the four-day event, which they say is about average for that timeframe. Galt Gardens does have its own security, so some issues didn’t require police intervention.

The concerns raised by Gagne are not surprising to one LPS sergeant.

Van Roon says this type of activity shouldn’t be seen as being limited to Galt Gardens.

“Open use of drugs, loitering, and intoxication etc., that can happen throughout our city,” Van Roon said. “Throughout our downtown, it’s very busy. Galt Gardens is one piece of that. Whether it’s right in Galt Gardens, or an alley two blocks from Galt Gardens, we are definitely having a spike in our officers being very busy in the downtown core.”

Gagne says Ribfest will return to Lethbridge next year, but he doesn’t know if Galt Gardens will be the host venue.

“I felt like at times, we were playing with fire because whether it be during the day or at night, there was the potential of something happening and it was very unnerving for us,” Gagne said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I felt like at times, we were playing with fire because whether it be during the day or at night, there was the potential of something happening and it was very unnerving for us," Gagne said.