Ribs on downtown Grayslake’s menu Sunday

Downtown Grayslake will be teeming in pork for a fundraiser Sunday.

Money raised from the third annual Downtown Rib Throwdown will go to The Oasis Grayslake Youth Center. It’ll run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the action on Center Street between Slusser and Whitney streets.

“It truly is the best-smelling day in Grayslake,” said volunteer organizer Joyce Campbell.

At least eight cooking teams are expected for the ribs competition and will be allowed to fire up their grills at 5 a.m. Sunday. Judges won’t know who cooked the ribs when they taste them on a patio behind The Vine Martini and Wine Bar and declare a winner later in the day.

No admission fee will be charged, but rib samples with a variety of sauces and rubs on them will be sold for $1 per bone. Last year, more than 5,400 bones were served for the fundraiser, Campbell said.

Those who aren’t carnivores won’t have to go home hungry. Campbell said a tent called Lettuce Vegetain You will offer meatless dishes.

Music will begin with the Bluesniks at 11 a.m., followed by Curtis Bell and then Exit 2 Enter. The Vine will operate a beer tent at the Downtown Rib Throwdown.

Launched in downtown Grayslake nearly five years ago, The Oasis serves several thousand teenagers from across Lake County annually. The center caters to 12- to 18-year-olds by offering a place for them to relax and mingle with amenities such as a stage, media room, snack bar, homework area and more.

Campbell said The Oasis’ operations are fully funded by donations.