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Second year festival, chili
cookoff will be held April 4
Published Tuesday, September 2
By Mark Boehler
Special to the Daily Corinthian

A date has been set, more volunteers are signed on and evening entertainment added to the 2nd Annual Crossroads Festival and Mississippi Regional Chili Cookoff.

Energized by the success of the inaugural event last March despite horrendous weather, a committee behind the event has been expanded to meet monthly to discuss the festival, overcome a few obstacles and make the second event better than the first.

"We are moving forward," said Denise Mitchell, overall chairperson.

Next year's festival and chili cookoff will be held Saturday, April 4 under the covered pavilion and on the grounds of the Crossroads Arena -- the same site of the first event.

The date keeps the event in the springtime, appears to have no local conflicts with any other events and fits well with cookoff schedules of the International Chili Society, the organization which has sanctioned the Mississippi Regional Cookoff in Corinth. The regional chili cooking competition brought over 30 teams from seven states last year, some as far away as Texas, Illinois and Missouri.

The committee voted to expand the event from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., with the 6-8 p.m. time slot filled with headline entertainment after the chili cookoff awards are given.

The first festival and cookoff ended at 5 p.m. as a monster truck show was being held inside the Crossroads Arena. There will be no event inside the arena on April 4, noted Reggie Churchwell, arena general manager.

The committee has decided to see if only one event at the arena might be better next year, noted Mitchell. "People either attended the festival and cookoff or the monster truck show, but not both."

The committee also voted to shorten the People's Choice competition -- where those attending the festival can sample chili and vote for a favorite ­ from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Volunteer organizers are also discussing admission charges, People's Choice charge, when to start entertainment, what kind of entertainment the festival should present and how much to charge vendors to set up.

The event will continue to be family oriented and no beer will be sold, the committee has decided.

Volunteers who have joined the committee include Kenny Carson, Annette Bynum, Tuesdae' Johnson, Robert Blankenship and Vickie Carmon. Also present were Mitchell, Churchwell, Steve Knight, Tim Kirsch, Tony Wilburn, Christy White and Zack Steen.

Committee chairpersons were also named. They are sponsorships -- Kirsch; vendors -- Bynum; entertainment -- Churchwell; volunteers -- Johnson and Carson; chili cookoff -- Knight.

(Mark Boehler serves as promotions chairperson of the Crossroads Festival and Mississippi Regional Chili Cookoff. Make festival or cookoff recommendations to him at fun91radio@bellsouth.net.)

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