Dave Lavender here, the entertainment reporter with the Herald-Dispatch, giving you Dave’s Drive-Through Weekend in 90 seconds or less and starting now.

Ribfest Ready to Fire Up @ Harris Riverfront Park
Pigs better be making a swim for the Ohio River, the 13th Annual Huntington Rib & Music Fest  is setting up for a smoking good time down by the riverside at Harris Riverfront Park for four, smoking days of food, national-act music, and fun.  Come one down to the river for some finger-lickin’ good ribs from half a dozen national rib vendors, and check out plenty of side-dishes of entertainment that includes The Marshall Tucker Band on Thursday night, award-winning WTCR Highway 23 Jamboree on Friday night with a double-shot of national acts with Cody McCarver (of Confederate Railroad) and RCA Nashville recording artist, Jake Owen,  On Saturday, there’s a triple shot of oldies with The Diamonds, The Marvelettes, and The Clovers, presented by B 97, and it’s nothing but the blues on Sunday with Lil’ Joe, Larry Whitt, and The Carpenter Ants, a veteran rocking, gospel act put together by Michael Lipton, house guitarist for Mountain Stage.  Huntington Rib & Music Fest hours are: 5 to 11 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7; from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8 and Saturday, Aug. 9 and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10.   After 5 p.m. each day adults are $5. On Sunday, admission is $1 for Coca Cola Family Day for adults.  Children under 12 are free all weekend compliments of Tri-State Family.  Admission is $2 for adults before 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Except for lunchtime on Friday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. when admission is free. 

Genuine Junk Band Back Home @ Greenbo
Ashland’s Genuine Junk Band has been out on the road traipsing all over the East Coast from the Carolinas to up north into Vermont and New York.  The jam-band that just released the mighty fine CD, “Stories from the Hills and Sea,” didn’t waste time breaking out the jams here at home.  The group brings its hula-hoops, its good vibes and it’s great melodic jams to the stage of the Greenbo Lake State Resort Park Amphitheater at 8 p.m. Friday.  Bring your lawn chairs and blankets to the Greenbo Amphitheater for an evening of rocking, original music. Coolers are welcome. Admission is $4. Children 12 and under get in free.  Call 606-473-7324.

Cool as a Cajun
The words Cajun and cool usually aren’t two words that fit nicely together in a summer sentence.  They do this weekend. Fire up the A/C and head up to the Funny Bone Comedy Club and Restaurant where John Morgan, the “Rajun Cajun” brings his swamp-fried comedy up to the always dark, always cool and always good, Funny Bone at Pullman Square.  Show times are 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 7-10.   Tickets are $12 to $14.  Call 304-781-1000 or go online at www.wvfunnybone.com

Country Highway Meet Jazz Alley
The Paramount Arts Center in Ashland celebrates one of the Tri-State’s great musical treasures on Friday.  Jay Flippin, perhaps best known for his award-winning scores of the Witek and Novak documentaries, “Ashes to Glory,”  and “Hearts of Glass” headlines the Jazz Alley Series at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8.  Sit on the stage with the Jay Flippin Quartet as they stroll through contemporary, original jazz compositions as  well as jazz standards.  Flippin, chosen as the Kentucky Artist of the Year by the Governor’s Awards in the Arts, has performed with artists that include the Count Basie Orchestra, Ray Charles and Wilson Pickett.  Tickets are $20. Call 606-324-3175.

A Bug Brings Campfire Chillers and Thrillers
There’s going to be a ‘Bug’ by the campfire at Beech Fork State Park and that’s a good thing.  David Stover, also known as “Bugs,” is performing his “Chillers and Thrillers” evening campfire stories at Beech Fork State Park on Saturday, Aug. 9, Sept. 13 and Oct. 11.  Stover is part of the Summer Special Programs at West Virginia State Parks and Forests.  A 50-something year old with a compassion for the outdoors, Stover, taught school for 28 years and is the author of three books on local ghost stories in West Virginia.  An avid adventurer, Stover’s personal challenges include attempts to walk across America in 1977, and walks to Washington, D.C. in 1980 and 1998 for various causes and support.  For information about special summer programs at West Virginia State Parks information is online at www.wvstateparks.com and click on Special Programs.

Mondays Allright for Meteor Shower Campouts
One of the year’s best meteor showers, the Perseids will be best seen overnight between about 1:30 a.m. and dawn on Aug. 12 so you might as well roll out to a state park and make a campout of it.  Beech Fork’s always a good call south of H-town.  While west of the city, Carter Caves State Resort Park in Olive Hill, Ky., is always a good call as you can escape the heat during the day by heading underground to a half-dozen destinations including Bat Cave, Saltpetre, Cascade Cave, X-Cave and others.  Also, there’s canoe guided wild caving trips and canoe trips on Smokey Lake as well.  Call 606-286-4411. For more cool things to do in the outdoors, go online at www.herald-dispatch.com and click onto Life, Entertainment or Sports. Then click onto Outdoors.

Road-trip: My road-trip pick this weekend is the Potomac Highlands and Terra Alta, West Virginia where Sunshine Daydream Music Park celebrates the 23rd annual  Jerry Garcia Birthday Bash with four days of national-act live music that features that delicious Garcia-inspired musical stew — everything from bluegrass, and country to rock ‘n’ roll and blues.  Go online at www.sunshinedreams.com.

That’s just a few of the things happening this weekend, check us out online at www.herald-dispatch.com and in the box.  Also, check out our new travel book on the Tri-State, aptly called ‘Dave Trippin,” online at www.davetrippin.com and at a book store near you.