Castle Pines community OctoberFest a huge hit
Article by Lisa Crocket with photo collage by Tim Gamble
The community turned out in force for the annual OctoberFest celebration, sponsored by the Castle Pines Chamber of Commerce. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office sponsored several hours of safety-related presentations, locals and visitors alike participated in a “Volksmarch” fun run/walk event through the community, and local businesses were on hand to provide goods and information on everything from therapeutic massage to real estate to clothing. A “kids zone,” complete with bounce houses and face painting and live music from Michael Kotik and the band Bad Maxey, rounded out the day’s offerings.
“I got some popcorn and Silly Bandz, and my dog even got a treat,” said 10-year-old Blake Frederickson, who attended the event with his parents Todd and Amy. “The best part about it was that almost everything was free!”
There were some new additions to this year’s ‘fest, including the sale of beer from Grand Lake Brewing Company and a hotly contested “Thrilla on the Grilla” grilled chicken wing contest, run by local food blogger Shannon Wilson (grubology.blogspot.com) and partner Erin Seabold.
“I was a finalist for Bobby Flay’s ‘Grill It’ on the Food Network and I got thinking it would be fun to have a grilling competition that would allow a backyard griller to compete,” said Wilson. “We decided to try it out and it’s turned out really well. It’s a great way for local sauce and rub makers to show their stuff.”
Smoke from the competitor’s grills could be seen throughout the eight-hour event, feeding hungry attendees and showcasing the local flavors of companies like Kim’s Gourmet Sauces and Marinades and Birdman Barbecue.
Wings were judged by Wilson, Mick Rosacci, who is the corporate chef and vice president of Tony’s Market, and local barbecue sauce aficionado Eric Chiapetta, owner of Bombshell Barbecue Sauce. Winners were judged according to presentation, taste, texture and appearance of their wings. The victors of the wing competition were the “Wingnuts” – Tim Hanson and Jessica Jenkins of Elizabeth who have been perfecting their sauce and their grilling technique for years.
“We have a passion for crispy chicken skin,” said Jenkins. “We think wing lovers everywhere deserve good chicken wings.”
Some businesses at the event teamed up to cross-promote their goods and services, notably the Bundt Shoppe, Little Italy Pizza, Dazbog Coffee and GreenEarth Cleaners who are joining forces to honor our veterans this November.
For the first time in OctoberFest’s history, the event was held in the Safeway shopping center, a change that Castle Pines Chamber of Commerce President Sharon Kollmar sees as a positive change.
