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So to take this thing outside the realm of Fort Lauderdale and into the surrounding Broward County area…I’d like to share with you my quite interesting Sunday.
I, for the first time, attended the annual 99.9 Kiss Country Chili Cookoff. Now, I’m not sure how many of you have heard of this event, so let me give you a quick blurb of an explanation.
This outdoor, all-day festival began 21 years ago in Quiet Waters Park, which some of you up the Deerfield Beach way may be familiar with. And it’s been going strong ever since. While it used to be a weekend of chili contests and country crooners, now the event is one day only, which only means the same amount of fun is packed into one day instead of two. Now, hosted by long-time local favorite 99.9 Kiss Country, the Chili Cookoff pries country fans from all over South Florida out of the woodwork and reels them in droves into C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines.
Ok so I went for “blurb” and ended up with “long-winded.” I’ve never been good at that.
I was not aware of just how serious people take their Cookoff until this experience. But I must say, I am glad that my fellow (experienced) country comrades took charge and led the way.
So at 6:00 a.m., an apartment full of bleary-eyed guys and gals woke up, attempted to shake off their hangovers from the night before at where else – Davie’s own Round Up – and started loading up their pick-ups. By 6:30, we were on our way- but we weren’t the only ones. After waiting in line with rowdy crowds of people tailgating in the streets (7 a.m. by this time, folks…that’s early), we finally got into the park and set up a tailgate of our own.
We did the tailgate thing for awhile: sausages, elk steaks (yes elk, no cows here), chips, and as much beer as you could imagine, football…and of course, cranked up country and trucks.
Fast forward a couple of hours, and while things may have gotten a little hazy, I can tell you this much: Gretchen Wilson, Keith Urban, Trick Pony, Van Zant, and Craig Morgan make quite a lineup. And I wasn’t the only one who thought so. People were everywhere; there wasn’t an inch of grass to spare among the crowd gathered in front of the stage.
But even if all the honky-tonk and “yeehaw” isn’t for you and “Redneck Woman” doesn’t get your juices flowing, it’s a day to do something different, enjoy the outdoors, and be around all types of people, which were most definitely present at this shin-dig. I saw young and old, families and friends, and everything in between.
It just goes to show that greater Fort Lauderdale isn’t all beaches and sunshine, although that isn’t half bad. It’s also diverse people with diverse interests and diverse activities to fulfill their needs.
And in this case, if your interest would’ve been a day in the park with music and boozin’, the Chili Cookoff would’ve been for you.
I, for the first time, attended the annual 99.9 Kiss Country Chili Cookoff. Now, I’m not sure how many of you have heard of this event, so let me give you a quick blurb of an explanation.
This outdoor, all-day festival began 21 years ago in Quiet Waters Park, which some of you up the Deerfield Beach way may be familiar with. And it’s been going strong ever since. While it used to be a weekend of chili contests and country crooners, now the event is one day only, which only means the same amount of fun is packed into one day instead of two. Now, hosted by long-time local favorite 99.9 Kiss Country, the Chili Cookoff pries country fans from all over South Florida out of the woodwork and reels them in droves into C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines.
Ok so I went for “blurb” and ended up with “long-winded.” I’ve never been good at that.
I was not aware of just how serious people take their Cookoff until this experience. But I must say, I am glad that my fellow (experienced) country comrades took charge and led the way.
So at 6:00 a.m., an apartment full of bleary-eyed guys and gals woke up, attempted to shake off their hangovers from the night before at where else – Davie’s own Round Up – and started loading up their pick-ups. By 6:30, we were on our way- but we weren’t the only ones. After waiting in line with rowdy crowds of people tailgating in the streets (7 a.m. by this time, folks…that’s early), we finally got into the park and set up a tailgate of our own.
We did the tailgate thing for awhile: sausages, elk steaks (yes elk, no cows here), chips, and as much beer as you could imagine, football…and of course, cranked up country and trucks.
Fast forward a couple of hours, and while things may have gotten a little hazy, I can tell you this much: Gretchen Wilson, Keith Urban, Trick Pony, Van Zant, and Craig Morgan make quite a lineup. And I wasn’t the only one who thought so. People were everywhere; there wasn’t an inch of grass to spare among the crowd gathered in front of the stage.
But even if all the honky-tonk and “yeehaw” isn’t for you and “Redneck Woman” doesn’t get your juices flowing, it’s a day to do something different, enjoy the outdoors, and be around all types of people, which were most definitely present at this shin-dig. I saw young and old, families and friends, and everything in between.
It just goes to show that greater Fort Lauderdale isn’t all beaches and sunshine, although that isn’t half bad. It’s also diverse people with diverse interests and diverse activities to fulfill their needs.
And in this case, if your interest would’ve been a day in the park with music and boozin’, the Chili Cookoff would’ve been for you.
posted by ALYG8R at 2:38 PM
Alyg8r's blurbs are always such a pleasure to read. Great Job Aly!
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