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  24th
Annual
Colorado State
Chili Cookoff
Saturday, June 23rd,
2007
Grand Lake,
Colorado
1st Place
Showmanship, 6th Place Red
In the 1890's it was the promise
of gold and silver that brought thousands of miners to
the Colorado Mountains. Today it was the chance to
qualify for the 41st Annual Terlingua International
Chili Cookoff. Cooks traveled from Texas,
Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and New Mexico. A
postcard perfect day greeted them for the 24th Annual
Colorado State Chili Championship in Grand Lake
Colorado. Mother Nature cooperated with calm winds
and fair temperatures
This event is a
true community affair. Since it was benefiting the
local Fire and Rescue units, there was a fantastic
turnout from the Fire Department. But not to be
outdone, the Park Rangers from nearby Rocky Mountain
National Park showed up along with their equestrian unit
in full search and rescue gear. To this the Fire
Department answered by raising their ladders high into
the sky over the cookoff, giving us some stellar
photographs of the cookoff site.
Before long, the
cooks were busy chopping and stirring while the aroma of
simmering chili filled the air. Current TICC Champion
Dana Plocheck was also on hand to enjoy the day’s
festivities. Public attendance was excellent. They
listened to exceptional Bluegrass music while strolling
through the vendor areas and of course enjoying the
wonderful showmanship displayed by the cooks. There was
Beer, Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, and Bratwursts to be had.
Along with some world class Red and Green chili!
Soon the Judges
were at work. They had the hardest job of the day, not
to mention the most flavorful. Deciding from among so
many exceptional chili’s, has to be a chore.
There was a bit of
excitement just before announcements. It seems that an
unnamed Great Pepper from Colorado “misplaced” his
ticket for his red chili. When a feverish search did
not produce the errant ticket, he resigned himself to
the fates.
In the end, Dana
Plocheck from Houston Texas won out over the rest of
the competition, and showing us why she is the TICC
champion.
John Montgomery
from Golden Colorado was an extremely close second.
Remember that
“misplaced” ticket – Third Place went Unclaimed.
Steve Lee, of
Longmont Colorado, and his “Warriors of the
Crimson Pepper” took top honors in Showmanship.
Followed by Karen Hendricks with God Bless America
Green Chili was won
by Ron Williams of Farmington New Mexico while Doug
Ingerson of Broomfield Colorado took the 2nd
place spot
The Colorado Chili
Pod would like to thank the organizers, sponsors, cooks
and everybody who showed up to make this event
successful.
Be
sure to mark your calendars for next year’s event.
A Celebration of 25
years - The 25th Annual Colorado State Chili
Championship!
For a slideshow of this wonderful event, press on
the button below
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