08-26-23 1st Annual Chili Cookoff
Today I was pleased to wake and spend the morning, enjoying poached eggs on Texas Garlic Toast and coffee while I watched some brain soothing Star Wars items on Disney +. Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies was odd and peaceful. Biome was ridiculously soothing as it was a peaceful flyover of various Star Wars terrain. And I loved Lego Star Wars Summer Vacation.
I then got ready to head to the park for Summer Sounds in collaboration with Rotary Club of Cranbrook’s Chili Cook off. I was there just after 1 as I stopped at the office to prepare my info to emcee.
The first band of the day was Las Cha Chas. The guitar player, Ivan lives in Kimberley and his posse comes up from Sayulita, Mexico. They were absolutely amazing, filling the park with their Tropical Rock. The small audience was very appreciative. I truly wish more people had been there to enjoy them.
Next was Half Spent, a group of indie rockers from town. They were so tight, very enjoyable. There was a moment of annoyance when I heard a volunteer at one of our booths say that they were the worst band we have ever had. I went off to the loo and then sat down with her to calmly explain that she is the face and voice of our organization while she is volunteering for us. I explained that the hoped for response to “How is the music?” Is that people seem to be really enjoying them. They are not my taste but people are happy. She was very receptive and we left on good terms. I did let her know that they were, in fact, a very good band.
The evening was closed out by Brass Monkey, a 7 piece band complete with keys and brass! Two of the members used to live on Salt Spring Island, I do adore Randy and Shinobu. One of the members is also one of our Board Members, Jamie has a wonderful voice and he really pours the energy out after having open heart surgery not that long ago.
Over the course of the day, from 4 pm on, the Rotary club was selling wristbands for $20 to allow people to taste the 9 different chilis. There were local celebrity judges for a prize of $500, and a people’s choice award for $300. It was very popular and they sold out of wristbands.
It was a long day with my back and hips reminding me that I was walking on uneven ground. It was worth it to have the feedback from people, how much they loved it. I was also very flattered that Dom complimented me on the job I was doing as she works for a local radio station and emcees many events.
The crowd was appreciative, the music was great and the feedback was good. Our collaboration was a success, in spite of the confusing schedule and uncertainty of why we started the music so early when the crowd was sparse. It is something we will take up at the board level.
I have a bit of a sore throat but made sure to Covid test when I got home. It was negative thankfully.
triumphgal 