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Red River, New Mexico – Members of the Pod On The Pedernales followed the call of the chili trail and the desire for cooler temperatures to northern New Mexico on Saturday. The town of Red River was host to Hot Chili Days and Cool Mountain Nights. A Larry Joe Taylor music festival was held in conjunction with CASI’s Four Corners Regional Open Championship.

Daily temperatures ranging from the mid-forties up to eighty degrees and performances by top singer-songwriters were a great diversion for the chili cooks. The main event, however, was the chili cookoff. Cooks from seven states competed for qualifying spots in the Terlingua International Chili Championship.

Johnson City residents fared well in the competition, taking four of the top ten spots in chili and winning the showmanship competition. Chili winners were Alan Dean (3rd), Chelita Riley (4th), Tex Riley (8th), and Susan Dean (10th). Susan Dean, Chelita Riley, and Sharon Pinnell formed the Gunpowder Girls show team, winning handily over the competition and entertaining the large crowd.

Pod On The Pedernales is the Johnson City-based chapter of the Chili Appreciation Society International. The Pod generates many thousands of dollars for local charities and shares lots of chili fun each year through their chili cookoffs. They meet monthly at the Silver K Café. The meetings are informal and are open to all. If you are interested in attending, call Alan Dean at 512-567-2835.