Melissa is a youth leader for Creekside Bible Church and every year, to raise funds for the youth program, the young people organize a chili cook off. The idea is the chili that garners the most votes (you vote with dollars, folks) wins. They also have a pie contest but it isn't as cutthroat. Everyone gathers at the farm of one of the parishioners to eat chili and pie and vote for the best of each.
Geoff entered his lemon meringue pie and for the first time, Melissa made a chili. Twenty families donated chilli to the cause. Every family felt their chili was the best, of course, so the stress on Melissa was intense. While the adults were testing the food, the kids could take tractor rides, play ball, visited the hens and pigs or feast on what they could grab. Elijah and Miles basically ate pie after deciding the chilis were too spicy.I limited my chili tasting to those that were unusual. Melissa's had two kinds of sausages so that was pretty epic but others featured chicken, elk, bison, venison and even fruit! The chicken chili had been runner-up several years in a row and this year, they won. Geoff's pie also won and he received a singing jack-o-lantern as a prize. I'm not sure who was happier about that gift, Grampy or the kids.
The afternoon ended with a new event, pie-in-the-face of a youth leader. The idea was the person who received the most money in donations would be 'pied' with whipping cream. After heavy betting on who would undergo this (Melissa received the most donations), it was decided all the leaders would suffer the indignity of a pie in the face.
It was through Creekside Church worship team (of which Geoff is a member) that Glen and I were introduced to the music of David Crowder Band. We had sung some of their songs and bought their award-winning Christmas CD. Last year, Melissa told me Crowder (the band broke up in 2012) was doing a concert in Denver in April. I bought tickets and gave them to Glen for Christmas. How disappointed we were when that concert was canceled. Their new concert date was October so we made plans to be in Denver when that happened.
First thing we learned was the concert was at the Paramount Theatre. We had had lunch in the Paramount Café when we were in Denver last year (Meet me under the Bear). The theatre was built as a movie house in 1930 to feature films from the studios of Paramount Pictures. Other than some wonderful examples of Art Deco, the theatre is famous for having one of only two twin console Wurlitzer theatre organs (the other is at Radio City Music Hall in New York City). When movie audiences declined, Paramount began booking other entertainment. Being a small venue of only1870 seats, it attracts performers who prefer more intimate settings.
Our plans were to dine at Illegal Pete's, a controversial Mexican restaurant on the way to the theatre. Not only do they serve delicious food, they also support local bands and entertainers by being a venue for their acts and feeding them. We got free beer with our meal by showing our Crowder tickets. The restaurant began in Boulder by Pete Turner who wanted to serve 'Mission-style' Mexican food, that is, burrito dishes found in the Mission district (see If You Are Going to San Francisco...) of San Francisco and Baja-style fish tacos. Pete read a novel in which Illegal Pete's was the name of a bar and it appealed to him as his father was also named Pete and had been a bit of a rebel when he was younger.
What Illegal Pete's lacks in fancy decor, it makes up for in the freshness of its food. Nothing is pre-made and ingredients are all-natural, antibiotic-free, and have no preservatives. You line up to order then watch as they create your meal. Geoff treated us to supper which was great because the process was a bit confusing for first-timers. Glen had a steak burrito and I had chicken quesadillas which we washed down with Fat Tire beer.
Downtown parking was free with our Crowder tickets and I recognized the parking garage so we knew where to go once we left the building. Our tickets were general admission so when Melissa and Geoff saw people they knew, we guarded their seats. Geoff's friend Brady and his wife joined us as the opening band began. Capital Kings were a rocking duo whose drum sounds reverberated in my chest. It certainly got the blood pumping! As I expected from worship at Creekside, everyone stood to dance and sing along. All Sons and Daughters, the next group, had a folksy sound. My knee was protesting so I sat down for most of their set.
You cannot sit down during a Crowder concert and when he and his band came on stage, the whole audience was ready to rock. And we sang our hearts out (the title of this blog is a Crowder song). Most knew the songs but for those who didn't, there were several monitors telling us the words. The theatre swelled with the sound of music and it was good. During the final piece, the band members quietly departed until only Crowder remained. When he left, the audience continued singing. It was an amazing ending to a wonderful evening.
The next day while I packed our bags, Glen enjoyed the sunshine by playing a game of football with the boys. Saying goodbye was hard on both us and the grandkids. I think Elijah wanted his hug to last forever as did I.
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