It is with much sadness that I report to you Rusty Paske is in ICU at South St David's Hospital in Austin. They transported him from LLano yesterday by ambulance. The report I received is that his kidneys and liver are not functioning properly at this time. Please keep Rusty & Fae in your thought & prayers. I will keep you updated.
From Patsy Childress
From Patsy Childress:
REGISTRATION AS OF 08/11/09
DIRECTORS Complete
PODS 42
Those Not Registered:
ACES Pod
Alpine Chili Society
Chiliheads of Arizona
Chili Hawg Pod
Colorado Chili Pod
Casinova Pod
Desert Breeze Pod
Green Country Chili Pod
Highland Lakes Pod
Iowa Chili Pod
Indiana Pepper Pod
Mason Dixon Pod
Mo-Kan Pod
New Mexico Chili Society
Pacific Pod
Pepe’s Pod
Pod On The Perdernales
Rose City Pod
San Angelo Cookers Assoc.
Sunshine State Chili Pod
Spice Up California Pod
Tall In Texas Pod
Thousand Trails Whitney
Virgin Pod
New Pods to Be Seated: No Registration
Cowboy Capital Chili Pod
Gladiator Pod
REGIONAL REFEREES 8
ALCALDE Complete
From Jen Windsor:
Hello CASI!! My name is Jenny Windsor and I am writing this letter as notice of my intent to run for the CASI BOD. I am a relative newcomer to CASI. I have been on the Chili Trail for five wonderful years. In that time I have worn many “Hats” in the CASI family.
In the beginning I was like all of us; a humble newcomer that wished to learn how to cook really great Texas Chili. I heard a great many stories about CASI and the people that spread the Chili Gospel to others like me; I knew I had to contribute more. I turned my interest to a more Local level. I had a term as Treasurer of the Mason Dixon POD. The position gave me a great deal of insight into the inner workings of a Chili Pod. I was there to experience the trials and tribulations of gathering such a diverse group of people, as well as the reward of watching an event go off successfully after putting in a lot of hard work. As Treasurer I maintained the “Business” of Mason Dixon, my position allowed me unfettered access to witness the PODs governance. I saw things I liked and things I did not care for much.
Soon after my term as Treasurer/Chili Penny there was an opportunity for me to become the Regional Referee for Maryland; this enlightened me to the need for structure within the organization and at our events. I have seen many Chili Sisters and Brethren on the Trail that make up our CASI Family. But as with every Family, there needs to be guidance and the ability to make decisions that are good for all. I see the opportunity in being a member of the BOD to help all our CASI Members to be the best Chili Heads they can through open communication and support of CASI’s vision.
While still serving CASI as Regional Referee for Maryland I was elected Pepper Popper for the Mason Dixon Pod. During this experience I started to think how I would do things differently as a Great Pepper, soon after I got a chance to “put my cards on the table”, so-to-speak. As Great Pepper of Mason Dixon I was able to build a moment of togetherness between all of the Mid-Atlantic PODs. For this to become permanent I realized that the will of one person or even the will of several MDP Board Members would not be enough to create unity. I needed the other members and Great Peppers to accept the plans that were being made. After all, it is a fine thing to want to steer the ship, but if no one is pulling on the oars you’re pretty much standing there with a stick in your hands. In working with the other Great Peppers and POD members we were able to band together to pull off a string of Cook-offs that were unprecedented in participation and earnings for charities in Maryland.
My term as Great Pepper was brief as measured against others people’s tenure. I left the POD in good financial standing, with well established cook-offs and in the hands of new cooks who assured me they would do bigger and better things for CASI and MDP. I have since returned to the Chili Trail to spread the word and to more importantly, be a chili cook.
The reason behind writing a brief History of who I am and where I come from is my way of saying what I feel the important qualifications are for being part of the BOD. In my mind it’s not enough just to have a good head for business. I could go on about how I’m the Controller of one of the largest Candy Distributors in Maryland/the Mid Atlantic. How I ride herd over millions of dollars worth of transactions a month. I could tell you that the owners think I’m doing an excellent job and that they know my dedication to the company is real. Don’t get me wrong knowing how to run a business is a very important qualification. But equally important is knowing the value of people. Understanding that everyone brings something to the table; that the ability to see the merit of someone’s ideas you may disagree with will bring unity. For all of the reasons and experiences I have had with CASI I feel that I would be able to contribute to growing the CASI family and help make the appropriate decisions to make the organization even more successful. I would be honored to serve the fine group of people that are my CASI family. Thank you for your consideration.
NOTE: Today is Aug 12 and I have only received approximately half of the Annual Pod Reports. They are due to me no later than Sat Aug 15.
It is Wednesday and time to post the CCOs for this weekend.
Aug 15, 2009-001 - Middlefield, MA CASI. Massachusetts State Championship First EVER Massachusetts State Championship to be held in conjunction with the Middlefield Fair at the Highland Ag Society's grounds,7 Bell Road. Come join us at a beautiful country setting for a down home country fair! Activities to include pie baking contests, skillet pitching contest for the women and chainsaw tossing contest for the men, Country Western bands to entertain all day long, tractor and OX pull, Clydesdales will be on hand too! Cows, horses, and all sorts of farm animals for the kids and much much more... CASI Red turn-in 2 PM, fee $20. CASI Juniors turn-in 3 PM, fee $5 Camping and hotel info to follow or check www.chili-mac.com for updates. For you chili cooks looking to add another "title" to your repertoire this is the one you have been waiting for! Contact Jen Windsor jennwindsor@gmail.com 443-878-7999. Benefits Highland Agricultural Society. Make checks payable to Middlefield Fair. This is an automatic qualifier for TICC
Aug 15, 2009-002 - Indianapolis, IN CASI. Chad Jester Memorial CCO Held at Bel-Aire Park, 2915 South Tibbs Ave. Indianapolis I-465 to Kentucky Ave, on the southwest side of Indianapolis. Go North on Kentucky Ave, turn right on Tibbs. Registration 8:00 AM, Cooks meeting at 9:00 AM. CASI turn-in 1:00 PM. Entry fee is $20.00 make checks payable to the Indiana Pepper Pod. Other categories include: Anything Goes $15 ($10 w/CASI entry), Jr's Division $5, Salsa $5. Make checks payable to the Indiana Pepper Pod. Music Fest and Classic Car Show on site during the cook-off. For more information contact Darin or Tonya Jester at 317-856-3231 or crazyladychili@sbcglobal.net. Proceeds from this event to benefit Maywood Manor Park Association.
Aug 15, 2009-003 - Wills Point, TX CASI. 2nd Annual Pondarosa CCO. Held at Pondarosa Resort, 32891 State Hwy 64, Wills Point, TX 75169, a clothing optional naturist resort with excellent facilities. From Dallas take I-20 East to exit 523 & turn left on Hwy 64. Go 2.7 miles, turn left into drive. Benefits Myrtle Springs Volunteer Fire Dept. Entry fee $20, turn-in 1 PM. Jackpot Beans $10, 50/50 drawing, raffle prizes, showmanship. Pot Luck Dinner at 6:30pm, $6. Live Band later. Day fees waived for cooks and 1 guest. See website www.pondarosaresorts.com for more details. Contact Pondarosa office for rentals, pull throughs, and overnight camping reservations at 903-865-1104 Contact Gayle for CCO info at hlmglm@aol.com with CCO in the subject line please.
Aug 15, 2009-004 - Alpine, AZ CASI. 14th Annual Alpine POD Chili CCO. Held at the Alpine Rodeo Grounds Dry camping. Entry fee $18.00. Other events: BBQ, Spam and People's Choice. For more information contact: Dick Seehusen, 928-339-1840 or alpineinn@frontiernet.net.
Aug 15, 2009-005 - Midland, TX CASI. 2009 Great Pepper's Meeting CCO Held at Legacy Harley Davidson, 12100 W Hwy 90. Dry camping. Entry fee $18, turn-in 2 PM. Make checks payable to Black Gold Pod. CHILI GRIND ONLY. Contact Patsy Childress, 432-520- 4433, 432-425-4473 or email patsy@t3wireless.com.
Aug 15, 2009-006 - Red River, NM CASI. Hot Chili Days/Cool Chili Nights. The event will be held once again in Brandenburg Park, 101 West River Street in downtown Red River The weekend event also includes the Larry Joe Taylor Music Festival New this year: RV parking will be available around park. Benefits Red River Valley Charter School. Entry Fee $15 for CASI Red or Green, $10 additional fee for Green if already cooking CASI Red, other categories will also be available for additional fee. Make checks payable to the Colorado Chili Pod. For chili cookoff information, please contact: John Montgomery at 1670 Broadway, Suite 3000, Denver, CO 80202. 303-831-5000 or e-mail coloradochili@aol.com. For Red River information, please check www.red river.org or call 877-885-3885
Aug 16, 2009-001 - Addison, IL CASI. Medinah Chili Cookoff. Held at Medinah Shriners, 550 N Shriners Dr. Take I-355 to Army Trail, go West on Army Trail to Swift Road, turn Right on Swift Road, go 1 block, Shrine center on Right. Entry fee $25, turn-in 2 PM. Make checks payable to Medinah Shriners. Cooks meeting 10 AM, open 7 AM. Contact Ray Billock, Perfect Promotions, 11 N Skokie Hwy, Suite G14, Lake Bluff IL 60044. 847-295-6990, email ray@promoman.net. CHILI GRIND ONLY.
Aug 16, 2009-002 - St Thomas,VI CASI. 2009 Texas Society of the Virgin Islands. Held at #2 John Brewer Bay/UVI Campus. Entry fee $25. turn-in Noon. Make check payable to Texas Society of the Virgin Islands. Automatic qualifier for TICC. Contact Erik Ackerson P.O. Box 306926 St ThomasVI 00803. 1-800-524-2061, 340-473-8706. Benefits Queen Louise Home for the Aged, American Red Cross, Dial-A-Ride,St Thomas Rescue, V.I Institute for the Performing Arts The Family Resource Network.
Aug 16, 2009-003 - Wills Point, TX CASI. No Frills Sunday Cookoff. Held at Pondarosa Resort, 32891 State Hwy 64, Wills Point TX. 75169. See cookoff previous day.Turn-in Noon. Entry fee $20. Benefits C.L.A.W.S Contact Gayle HLMGLM@aol.com. This is a clothing optional event.
