On the barbecue side of things, some of that competition came as a direct offshoot of Ribfest.

“When we first started, the opportunity to buy really good barbecue in Lincoln was not as widespread as it is now,” Lorenz said. “This was before Famous Dave’s came into Lincoln. They were at Ribfest for a couple years, in 1999 and 2000, and did really well. I’m not saying it was entirely because of us, but they then opened here and have been busy since. Now, there are a host of wonderful local BBQ places around town, some that are contest winners.”

As for the music, the opening of large local venues like the Bourbon Theatre and the revitalized Royal Grove took care of providing indoor venues for Ribfest acts like Shooter Jennings, The Derailers and Here Come The Mummies.

And bigger artists -- a la Edgar Winter, who once played Ribfest -- have, since 2012, moved to Pioneers Park.

“Since we started doing things at Pinewood Bowl, we could fill that niche with great music outdoors in a more appropriate setting,” Lorenz said. “And ZooFest has continued to grow and now brings in top artists, like Mavis Staples this year.”

Even though it had declined, Ribfest remained profitable for both SMG and the vendors, but less so each year, Lorenz said.