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| Cook-off seeks cars, chefs |
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| Written by John Saiz / Patterson Irrigator / | |
| Wednesday, 12 September 2007 | |
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At a glance
The 12th annual Patterson-Westley Chamber of Commerce Chili Cook-Off is only three days away, and organizers still want to get more contestants for Saturday’s events. Chefs can try to win prizes with their barbecue, chili and salsa, while automobile enthusiasts can show off their cars and motorcycles. The young ones can get in on the act with the Little Ms. Chili Pepper and Mr. Hot Rod contests. Festivities will start at 9 a.m. Saturday at Plaza Circle and go until 5 p.m. “We need entries for the chili, the barbecue and the salsa,” chamber President Ellen Calmettes said. A big bag of chili powder sat behind her as she spoke about the difficulty of finding participants and volunteers for this year’s festivities. The frustration is obvious in her voice. Only three children have been entered in the Little Ms. and Mr. pageant. If more people don’t sign up, the contest could be canceled. Calmettes doesn’t know why it’s been hard to spur interest in this year’s event, but the volunteers who make the cook-off happen are not deterred. They’ll be out at 4:30 a.m. Saturday to make sure all preparations are in order. “And I’ll be out their shortly after that,” Calmettes said. Regardless of additional entries, the cooking events and car show are set to go, though they’ve also seen a shortage of entries. Calmettes hopes for a surge of signups this week. If history repeats itself, there’s a good chance of that happening. The day of the cook-off last year, 33 vehicles entered the event. Typically, vintage vehicles with custom paint jobs dominate the car show. The proud owners stand next to their cars, beaming with pride as attendees admire the hours of work it took to keep the rides looking sharp and running smooth. Cherry classics, striped down racecars and rows of custom choppers lined Plaza Circle in years past, as a sea of chrome reflected the persistent Central Valley sun. The smell of exhaust filled the air as engines revved. Mixed with the weekend hobbyists this year will be a group of scientists from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, including Patterson resident Tim Ross, who will display their record-setting Toyota Prius. The car is a prototype that has been modified to run on hydrogen. In January, the Prius traveled 653 miles on a single tank, more than any other modified car. Unique rides won’t be the only attraction; there’s also food. Participants will compete for the honor of having Patterson’s best chili, salsa or barbecue. Attendees can taste contestants’ entries and vote for their favorite. Judges will also sample the food and make their choice for best edibles. Winners get to take home a trophy. Aside from the entries, there will be plenty of beer, nachos and hotdogs for people to purchase. Patterson High School’s FFA program will have a raffle, and there’ll be bingo and a petting zoo. “Hopefully, we’ll get it rolling,” Calmettes said. To reach John Saiz at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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