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Chili chillin'

The world of chili cook-offs has never ceased to amaze me.

As a little girl, I used to help my dad, who is the most hard-core chili cook-off competitor I have ever met, market his savory green chili by chatting up the judges, handing out spoonfuls of cheese and chives and forcing the DeLaCruz charm on everyone who stopped by.

People think chili cook-offs are about having fun and sampling delicious chilis, soups and desserts, which is true, but there is so much more to it that most people don't see.

Competitors are vying for bragging rights or a trophy, judges are scrutinizing every ingredient, consistency and after-taste, and others are trying to shove as much chili down as possible.

At Sunday's Great North Routt Chili Cook-Off, I had the opportunity to be a dessert judge and spend some time in an all-too-familiar culture.

Watching the competitors rush to extension cords to plug in Crock Pots of chili and seeing the judges don their official white aprons, I couldn't help but think about how passionate people get when they're putting themselves out there - in the form of a tasty green chili or a soothing red.

The one piece of advice I would offer anyone thinking about entering a chili cook-off: In addition to having a nice chili, appropriate condiments - tortillas, cheese, sour cream, salt and onions - have coolers full of popsicles, fudgesicles and treats for kids.

You'll score big points every time.

- Alexis DeLaCruz

Footloose

The second community dance Saturday night reminded me of the last scene in "Footloose." Like in the small town of Bomont - where rock music and public dancing had been outlawed - newcomer Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon) organized a dance where teenagers could be footloose and fancy free.

I can't remember the last time I saw so many smiling, adorable, dancing people. And these folks could dance!

Deejay Kip Strean put on a country song, and the dance floor magically transformed into a professional frenzy of line dancers. Couples were salsa dancing, swing dancing and two-stepping.

This small-town, dancing-venue-deprived population found its niche. And they owned it.

- Allison Plean