Smokin’ committee hits another one out of park

One of the best things about events like Smokin’ is the chance to get reacquainted with friends, neighbors.

I’m a big baseball fan, so in this busy month of June I have to use a phrase from my favorite sport to commend the Chamber’s Smokin’ on Broadway committee for another great event­—they hit it out of the park.
    If rain and cool temperatures kept you away from the many events Saturday, that’s too bad. Despite the cloudy skies and intermittent rainfall, everything went on as planned. Days earlier, the committee had already decided to move the evening concerts indoors to the air-conditioned city gym, and all of the food competitions were planned inside for this year anyway.
    One of my favorite events at Smokin’ is its Iron Skillet competition in which chefs are challenged to create a dessert and appetizer using three “secret” ingredients that aren’t revealed until two days beforehand.
    Using those three ingredients (three for each division), they can also add other ingredients to come up with their own special creation. The best thing about the contest is that you get to sample the appetizers and desserts afterwards.
    New events added more interest this year, and all had good participation—the new bike parade drew 45 youngsters while the Lego competition had 33 youths vying for the two bicycle prizes. Twenty competed in the new salsa-making contest.
    Oh, and another great thing you can enjoy every year? That great smokin’ aroma wafting through town from the BBQ competition.
    One of the best things, though, about events like these is the chance to visit in a more relaxed atmosphere with friends and acquaintances that we may not get to see as often as we’d like in our busy lives.
    Hats off to the Smokin’ committee, which I’m sure is already planning more fun for the 2020 edition the third Saturday in June.

 

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