A causal backyard chili cookoff party in 2010 evolves into what we know as the Blue Chili Grass Festival at Goodells County Park. See some of the action and find out how the event helps kids embrace their love of music.
[Sponsored by St. Clair County Department of Veterans Affairs]
Transcription of story:
Alyssa Paynter- Join us as we learn about the 12th annual Blue Chili Grass Festival, where several local food and artist artists and vendors compete to have the best chili in the county, and listen to 11 musicians from all across Michigan.
Jeffery Baron- About 13 years ago, my oldest son and I hatched an idea to have a concert and a party that included a chili cook off. Okay, we had it in our backyard this was in Fort Gratiot in 2010 and it turned out really cool and we had about two Hundred people in our backyard the third year we put it on Facebook as a public event we had five hundred people show up in our backyard well at the same time we decided it was time to grow this from a backyard party into something more meaningful so we developed um the lake Bon steel Music Association which is a 501c3 a nonprofit organization that that has a mission to bring music kind of culture to the port area, and that’s really what it’s all about.
Shelly David- It’s going to be the last weekend in September the last Saturday in September from now on and um it is $10 to get in you get a full day of music and vendors and chili tasting contest which is my favorite part so the proceeds go to a scholarship fund that we um have for students for music lessons and instruments so we this year we’re giving three scholarships away to three different students um they age six to Sixteen for um they get money towards an instrument either a new instrument or repairing one that they currently have and then I believe it’s 12 weeks of lessons um so we do that and then there’s also two music scholarships for schools so this year we’ll be announcing two winners for schools that goes towards their school band.
Carol Mason We have eleven, eleven acts coming in today. Our main headliner is Aaron Zindler and the Ray Birds, and she is amazing on fiddle. uh before then, we have Loxodon, and they’re from Flint. I found Blue Chili Grass Festival in 2012 through a friend, um 2013, I started volunteering and I’ve been on the board now for seven years. I love the planning, even though it’s stressful, but I love the day of. I love the music, I love the people, and I love the feeling in the air, like excitement.
Alyssa Paynter- Music is a beautiful art that never fails to bring our community together. For Thumb Coast TV, I’m Alyssa Paynter.
