County Fair/Chilympiad - San Marcos, Texas

grapefruit · 10-19-2007, 07:09 AM

Question: Does anyone know why Chilympiad was discontinued and/or what it would take to bring it back? I guess the simple answer is M-O-N-E-Y, but I was thinking more specifically.

Also, I might be a rotton San Martian and didn't see the writing on the wall somehow, but I noticed a few days ago that we had our Hays County fair last weekend. I only found out by driving under an obscure banner on Aquarena Springs Dr. Made me wonder why more buzz isn't created over something like our County Fair. That should be a big deal right? Word of it seems to totally elude me each year.

Leads me to my main complaint: other than S&S's of Christmas and the Tx Nat. & Western Swing Festival, for decades San Marcos's only other big public draw was the Rebublic of Texas Chilympiad. 2nd biggest chilli cookoff in the state, I believe. If we can put on a 2-day county fair, seems like we could bring back Chilympiad and combine the two.

A2, I don't know ya or anything, but it seems like you would have an opinion on this.

A2 · 10-19-2007, 12:21 PM

I'm not sure why they stopped the Chilympiad, something about it being MEN only, I don't know.
But there was a Chili Cookoff in Martindale last weekend that was a blast.
And part of the County Fair, was a BBQ cook off.

I don't know

semi-native · 10-19-2007, 01:57 PM

Money

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrob...oid=oid:180081

The men-only thing led to the start of another chili cookoff in Luckenbach, but I don't think it led to the end of Chilympiad.

semi-native · 10-19-2007, 02:07 PM

YouTube

I remember that damn Sirloin Stockade cow. Is that thing still around and I just don't notice it anymore?

Norton · 10-20-2007, 08:50 PM

i didn't hear anything about the fair .. where was it?

grapefruit · 10-21-2007, 07:58 AM

Informative article. Thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by semi-native

Money

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrob...oid=oid:180081

The men-only thing led to the start of another chili cookoff in Luckenbach, but I don't think it led to the end of Chilympiad.

Beto · 10-22-2007, 05:34 PM

The Hays county fair was put on by LULAC and sponsored by McCoy's, Sac-N-Pac and others. I think it was the first "Hays County Fair" and not an annual event (yet?). The sanctioning body of Chilympiad, CASI (chili appreciation society international) sanctioned the chili cook-off at the Hays County Fair. So in some respects, we got our chili cook-off back (as the winners qualify as contestants for Terlingua). As for Chilympiad, the event lost big money in 2001 and again in 2002. It was supposed to be a charity event. I guess because it lost so much money, it has not been held since. There may never be another three day weekend event quite like chilympiad. As for the Sirloin Stockade cow that used to be at the corner of 80 and I-35... It has been gone for quite some time. Now that the Sirloin Stoackade is Montana Mike's - I guess they couldn't use the old cow..?