Dunkin' Dinghy

Eydie Scher wrote this blog of her sea-faring adventures. If you’d like to write about any voyages of your own send it to me at klarsen@rgj.com and I’ll post here. Thanks Eydie.

Dunkin' Dinghy. That's what I named our very first boat. No, it wasn't a dinghy. Why did I do it? My husband called me from the Sea Ray dealer to say he bought a boat. It needed a name right away. Sight unseen, I pictured a dinghy and the alliteration was painted brightly on the stern.

Fast forward to Tahoe and three boats later. It's déjà vu. We are on our 3rd dinghy of the summer and fall. #1 was an inflatable raft that sunk. #2 was a freebie my husband picked up along route 89. What a bargain! Was she seaworthy? The 1st time out, we reached our boat and buoy. Returning from a beautiful day trip to Emerald Bay in July, we couldn't spot our dinghy. That's because it was _ submerged in the Lake, not due to swamping, but it had a leak.

Lightning flashed across our bow. Clouds spoke ominously of thundershowers. How would we get back to shore and do it in a hurry? Swimming was out. Everyone knows you absolutely do not swim during a thunderstorm. The dinghy was still our only hope.

He gave me a scoop. I bailed and he covered the boat. Yes, I found the leak. I bailed it out and the water rapidly returned. We got in and paddled to shore as fast as we could. Whew, we made it. We got what we paid for and more, an old leaky dinghy beyond repair.

Okay, now we're ready for dinghy #3. On the bulletin board at Sierra Boat company in Carnelian Bay, someone was selling, and I repeat the word selling, not giving away, a dinghy in almost new condition. The deal was struck. It was perfect. Oars even came with it, not paddles.

This one was totally seaworthy and served us well for the rest of the summer. What's the connection to Dunkin' Dinghy? We want to paint that name on this dinghy when we haul it home.

There's a minor problem. On one of those unbelievable windy days, when boats get swamped, September 22nd, our son's birthday, to be exact, #3 got swamped. Sailboats and powerboats lay on shore ripped from buoys. Still this was a surprise. Fortunately #3 was swamped on land. We donned appropriate apparel and boots. What to do? You guessed it. I used the trusty scoop over and over and over again. Then we turned it over. At least the water cleaned it up a bit. This time we left #3 upside down. We still need it as a tender.




Our boat, Poetry in Motion bounces around next to its buoy on an ever increasingly lonely slice of Hurricane Bay. It will come out before it snows but who knows what more can happen. We have been tested by Tahoe and are up to any challenge it can throw at us.

The name will stick. Dunkin' Dinghy will sit the winter out side by side with our boat on land. At least it is NOT leaking. Dinghy #3 is in a class by itself!

Genoa's sweet finacial solution

For 86 years, Genoa’s annual Candy Dance & Crafts Faire has supplied a sweet financial solution for the upkeep of Nevada’s oldest settlement.

Genoa Town Manager Tom Peters said 65 percent of the town’s operating expenses are generated from the weekend event that attracts 350 venders and more than 35,000 shoppers. That’s quite a change for a town that’s so small deer are often seen roaming the streets.

“The rest of the year, the only ones who come to visit us are the deer,” said resident Debbie Byroads.

White tents shade booths hawking glazed pottery, home-made “magic” wands and potpourri “apple pies.” Venders at the event have to make 70 percent of their craft, Town Manager’s Assistant Karen Curran said. A jury of 10 whittles down approximately 600 applicants to 350 crafters that will attend the event. Genoa resident Darlene Tiffany said the jury strives to ensure the goods are unusual, quality products without “Made in China” stickers on them.

Since the event’s name is the “Candy Dance,” some may expect numerous booths of candy, but Peters confessed Genoa’s candy stand has a monopoly on sweet treats. But those with a sweet tooth will not be disappointed.

Since the middle of August, approximately 70 volunteers from all over Northern Nevada helped to create and package 4,500 pounds of candy. Last year, candy sales and rental fees paid by vendors raised $120,000 for the town’s coffers, Tiffany said. The money pays for community projects such as roads, buildings and park maintenance. Almond joyfuls (cq), cappuccino cups and Genoa twists are some of the delectables that generated the sweet sum of $50,000 for total candy sales last year, Tiffany said.

Slideshow and fund-raiser for two struggling Kenyan villages

Candice Towell, a Reno Gazette-Journal photographer, will give a slideshow presentation at the Sundance Bookstore at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 3. Lifewater International, the Maasai American Organization, and International Development Missions recruited Towell to document the remote villages in southwest Kenya. She spent over a month living with the villagers of Rabondo and Megwarra.

Towell will also be selling her photographs and traditional African crafts; one-hundred percent of the proceeds will directly improve the quality of education, healthcare and water in Rabondo and Megwarra. The crafts are elaborate hand-woven bead work, including bracelets, necklaces, and purses.

Three weeks after returning to Reno, Towell presented a slideshow at the Annual African Fundraiser Dinner. She realized the potential of sharing her photographs and stories and began hosting fund-raisers and publicly speaking to help the impoverished people that embraced her. She has partnered with another NGO, the Minnesota-based Rabondo Community Project, USA, and has helped raised thousands of dollars for Rabondo.

Rabondo is a progressive subsistence farming community battling disease, drought and poverty inhabited by 5,700 Luo people, 100 miles west of Nairobi. The Luo tribe is organized, motivated, friendly and extremely eager to learn and improve the quality of their education. Consequently, Rabondo is a community of change, progress and hope.

Megwarra is located in the Narok Distrtict just outside of the Maasai Mara Game Reserve and is inhabited by 3,500 Maasai people. The semi-nomadic pastoralist tribe remains remarkably traditional and their cattle remain of paramount importance to their culture. Yet the Kenyan and Tanzanian government’s policies, which are restricting the tribe’s range and privatizing their land, are threatening their entire culture. The Maasai are also battling disease, extreme drought and poverty.

Her photographs have been published by numerous publications including World News and U.S. News, and Stern Magazine. She has earned regional and national awards. See Towell’s photographs and learn more about Rabondo in the premiere issue of NEED magazine this October: www.needmagazine.com

For more information about Candice Towell visit: www.ctowellphotos.com

Or read her award-winning photo essay, Inside Rabondo, on the web: www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2004/05/15/70860.php

For more information about the NGOs, Rabondo and Megwarra visit: www.rabondocommunity.org, www.maasaiamerican.org, www.lifewater.org or www.intdevmissions.org

Video: Amazing aerial acrobatics from Reno’s Air Races

In the first video, shot and produced by RGJ’s Pete Krajewski, Teresa Stokes straps herself to the top of a bi-plane. She moves around on the plane, from the wing to the top, at a breath-taking risk to herself. See for yourself.

This video set to "In Memory" is strangely graceful and thrilling. This pilot climbed high into the sky...and then killed the engine. The physics of air travel are largely a mystery to me and the amount of control this pilot has over his plane even thought the engine is off is astounding, or perhaps it's just a lovely illusion. Either way, I think it's worth watching.

Fabulous burner photos galleries

Burning Man is a festival that is best experienced visually. For that reason, I’ve decided to post links to every photo gallery of burner photos for this year that I know. Tomáš Loewy has posted galleries of impressive shots. If you visit this site prepare to spend 15 minutes scrolling through years of his Burning Man coverage. This is Web surfing at its best. http://www.coolpool.info/burningmanpix

You may have already seen Andy Barron’s photo galleries. They’ve been exceptionally popular. Burning Man at Night, Burning Man Starry Bamboo Mandala, Barbie Death Camp, Burning Man Sculptures, Burning Man Costumes, Burning Man Art It and Burning Man Wednesday.

Here’s the link to our Burning Man reader submitted photos: http://rgj.textamerica.com/?_ctgry=25581 Feel free to contribute your own. The more the merrier.

The official Burning Man site usually has fabulous photos, but when I visited the site the galleries were down. Here’s he link the link: http://images.burningman.com/
I hope you have better luck than I did.

Here are eight photos from Rolling Stone:
http://www.rollingstone.com/photos/gallery/11495813/burning_man_scenes_from_2006s_mo

If you come across any more worthwhile galleries in your surfing feel free to post them bellow. Your fellow readers will appreciate it.

Video: Burning Man's fiery nightlife

Everyone cheered loudly when "the Man" went down, because it meant that the nightlife could begin. I've brought some of the best footage from that night and condensed it into about five action-packed minutes. So enjoy my gift to you, a brief respite from the default world.

Funky Reggae on the Reno River

Saturday afternoon on the River presented a perfect afternoon with Wine, Rasta and Reggae. Tracy “Too Dread” Moore of KTWX 100.1’s Reggae show organized the River Roots Reggae Summer 2006 show on Saturday afternoon from 1-5 p.m. “Too Dread” was the first to have a Reggae radio show in Reno in the 80s.
The show was held outside of E.J’s Jazz Café and Dreamers Coffeehouse on a perfect hot afternoon. Although it was cold the day before the sun shinned bright for this fabulous Reggae tribute to Bob Marley and “the movement for Jah’s People.” Too Dread’s band Jahzilla brought in a swarm of people dancing and celebrating reggae music. Reno performers The Mark Sexton Trio opened the show with some acoustic sounds of reggae rock.
The show started around one but by 2:00 p.m. the place was completely crowded by people who heard the funky sounds of Reggae. Jen Haverty, known as “Akasha” seduced the crowd with her belly dancing as she shook her body to the music of Jahzilla. Haverty is part of Reno’s own “Controlled Burn”, a group of fire performers and jugglers. It was her second time dancing with Jahzilla and surly not her last.
The crowd was shy at first but then Jahzilla’s addictive beats brought dozens of people to their feet to dance. Burt Rendon, part of an organization called The Solace Tree, got up and started singing a song that he made up on the spot to Jahzilla’s music. His hilarious song was for his best friend and fellow member of The Solace Tree, Kim Seifert who was laughing and dancing around. The Solace Tree is an organization for children who have lost a parent. Kim Seibert lost her husband six months ago after a snowboarding accident and joined the organization for their daughter.
They were part of The Wine Walk, which was also taking part Saturday. The Wine walk helped bring in more people to the River Roots Reggae show. The show brought reggae lovers old and new for one final taste of summer while the sun was still hot. For more Reggae sounds, listen to Tracy “Too Dread” radio show Sunday nights from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on KTWX 100.1.


* On the paper edition I goofed the name of the opening act, I wrote Val & Kyle when in fact they are called The Mark Sexton Trio. I'm really sorry about that guys, you were awesome none the less! :D

River Roots Reggae show-this Saturday!

It's been a long time I know, but I'm back with another event that will make all you music lovers extremely happy!
Previously I've written blogs on Reggae, which always makes for a great show! This Saturday in downtown Reno is the River Roots Reggae show celebrating the biggest Reggae legend ever, Bob Marley and "the movement of Jah's people". The show runs from 1-5 pm featuring Jahzilla Reggae Shack's DJ "Two Dread," KTHX Val & Kyle, Acoustic Roots Originals, Truckee River Drum Ensemble and is presented by Bantu Spirit and organized by Tracy "Two Dread" Moore. It's at 17 S. Virginia St., on the patio at Dreamers Coffeehouse & E.J.'s Jazz Cafe. The show is FREE so YOU SHOULD GO! It doesn’t matter if Reggae isn't your top favorite, live reggae is always the best. Watch for me in the front taking pictures, I'll see ya there MON!
Here's a great link about Reggae at The RGJ!

And Now: Lex's Top 5 Reggae Albums that you MUST check out!


5.) Easy Star All Stars: Radiodread
-I already love Radio head so what better way to celebrate them with a reggae tribute!











4.)Matisyahu: Live at Stubb's
-This album is amazing. His strong dedication to his faith is very clear in his music.












3.)Bob Marley and various: Chant Down Babylon
-I really couldn't decided if this was my favorite or second favorite! This album F-ing Rocks! The take Bob Marley songs, mixing them up with a modern hip hop reggae beat, and include some of the best of the hip hop scene like Erykah Badu, Lauren Hill, Busta Rhymes & Flipmode squad, Krazy Bone, The Roots, Chuck D, and so many more. My personal favorite is "No More Trouble" with Erykah Badu because I adore her! "Turn your lights down low" with Lauren Hill became a successful single. You must hear this cd! Thanks to Vivian Matta for introducing me!



2.)Easy Star All Stars: Dub Side of the Moon
Ok, this album is brilliant. OF course Dark side of the moon is a must in everybody's Cd collection, but this one should be too. It is the entire Dark side of the moon, dub style, with hypnotic beats and Rasta funk. Just like Dark Side of the Moon, you have to listen to the album in its entirety, and it also goes along with The Wizard of Oz like its predecessor. Anyone can love this album, and should!






1.) One Love: The Very Best of Bob Marley & the Wailers
-The album I stole from my dad. A must in anyone's cd collection. Bob Marley is the greatest fool! This features his most popular songs. It's pretty hard to say which are the best songs since all of his songs are great but it features my two personal favorites: The romantic 'Is this love?', and the revolutionary "Buffalo Solider".



Check Out these albums and don't forget Saturday's show! :D

Club show pick: Southern Culture on the Skids at Great Basin

A dusty autographed poster of SCOTS sits behind me at my desk here at RGJ Central, marking the occasion when the band played at Big Ed's back in, oh, 2002 I think it was. I got hit with an oatmeal pie. Ah, the memories.

The club: Great Basin Brewing Co., 846 Victorian Ave., Sparks, 355-7711.
Who's playing: It's a two-night stand with the country-fried surf-tinged trailer rock of Southern Culture on the Skids. Hitting its commercial apex in the mid 1990s with the song "Camel Walk," SCOTS has continued to turn out new albums and tour, putting on some of the most fun shows in rock along the way. Find out whether the band still throws Little Debbie cakes and fried chicken at the audience Saturday at 10 p.m. or Sunday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $27.50 at Great Basin Brewing Co., or $30 online at www.1moe.com.
What's flowing: Ichthyosaur Ale, Wheeler Peak Wheat and Stan the Man Brown Ale are the best-sellers among its 11 homemade beers currently on tap.
Also this week: Absynth and Lazio Hollyfield on Sept. 15; Annie B., who's also known as Annette Marie, the singer of former Reno band Jaded, on Sept. 20; Luce on Sept. 22-23.

Oh blah dee, Oh blah dah - Life goes on

Life has gone on for Chris Burke, 41, who is best known for his role as Corky Thatcher on the ABC show, "Life Goes On." He's the first prime-time actor with Down syndrome. But his talents exceed those notable accomplishments. He's also a member of a band that performs a variety of music aimed at school-aged children. He released the album "Lollipops and Love Songs," in 1993.

What's the reason for the recap?

He and his band are going to be playing at Idlewild Park at 4 p.m. on Saturday to support a Down Syndrome Network of Northern Nevada and their Buddy Walk, a stroll around the park to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome. It cost $5 a person and $15 for a family. The event helps to raise money for national education, research, local programs and services.

For more information read Siobhan McAndrew's two articles which I have shamelessly stolen my information from: Down syndrome group gathers Saturday for support, fun and 'Life's' Chris Burke to perform with band. They're certainly worth a read.

Videos: The Great Reno Balloon Races

For all those who can't get enough of the Reno Balloon Races there are two videos that are really worth seeing. The first of which is one shot by RGJ's Pete Krajewski from the pilot's perspective.



The second one was shot with a Canon S3 using GBTimelapse and a Canon Pro1 running in continuous mode. It speeds up the assension of the one hundred six balloons so that it's possible to see the air currants at work.

Strike! Bowling at the National Bowling Stadium

I'm quickly becoming the tamest writer on "It's Your Weekend," with my stories of rural towns and, now: bowling.

Yes, I went bowling this weekend, but the reason me and my friends went is because it was a rare opportunity (for those of us who will never be professionals) to bowl in the National Bowling Stadium downtown. I'd never even seen the bowling lanes in the stadium before, so I figured I might as well go.

The Reno High marching band was holding a fund-raiser on Saturday in which you could bowl for $5, so there's a couple more reasons, helping out the kids and the price was right.

My friends Linsay (that's Linsay and her hot pink ball in the photo) and Ali and I aren't gonna break any bowling records (are there such a thing?), but we had a great time. The place is huge -- more bowling lanes than anywhere I'd seen. The set-up was nice: a top tier of seating for spectators, a lower level of booths and tables for snack breaks and some more booths right on the lanes. And it was all nice and clean and didn't smell nearly as bad as your typical bowling alley.

The scorekeeping was done by a high-tech touch-screen computer and the score was also projected on a big screen above our lane. The computer had a few little glitches (it canceled our first game in the middle) but it just meant that we got more frames for our money. My score? A blazing 85.

Video: The Wounded Heart

It's not often that someone's wounded, but still-beating heart is presented to you.
It wasn't presented to me personally, but to all those at Burning Man. So have a heart.

Video: Pool sharks aim for more money, respect

The International Pool Tour’s World Open 8-Ball Championship in Reno this week is moving pool sharks out of smoky halls and home billiard rooms and into the limelight.

The $3 million in prize money, a record for a pool tournament, could elevate the game to a gentleman’s sport, say pool players. Just like professional golfers, pool players may be able to make a living by competing on the tour. Those who lost in the first round, among 200 entrants, received $5,000. Champion Efren Reyes won $500,000.

Kevin Trudeau, founder of the first-year International Pool Tour, has described the event as the arrival of the golden age of pool.

“You could always make a good living, but you had to be the top four or five,” said 2004 U.S. Open winner Gabe Owen. “Now, it’s just like golf, and you can be on tour. There are people ... who have been retired for years coming out to play.”

The competition lured Mike Sigel, the winner of 105 professional pool tournaments, out of a nine-year retirement.

The competition in Saturday’s round-robin semifinals included two Americans, two Filipinos and two Europeans.

The tour is attracting Europeans who play English 8-Ball and Snooker, with smaller balls on larger tables, to switch to the American game, said Kimberly Spies, IPT event planner. Jayson Shaw of Scotland practiced with the American ball for five weeks before qualifying for the first round of the IPT, she said. He was eliminated before the Reno tournament.

“Now that we have real prize money, this will get people to want to play, this will get people to recognize us,” Owen said. “It’s an exciting game if you get into it, but nobody has ever wanted to get into it because you’d go broke if you did.”

Owen said it’s not a sport a player get into casually.

“It’s got to be your job,” Owen said. “You have to play it all the time. If you have another job, you’re not going to be able to compete with the guys out here.”

The tour creates matches such as the one where 13-year-old Austin Murphy of California defeated all-star Ewa Mataya Laurance, “the Striking Viking” from Sweden, who has won all pool major tournaments, including the World 8-Ball and 9-Ball championships, and is a member of the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame.

“At the IPT, everyone is big competition,” Murphy said.

Murphy said he’s seen shots on the tour he’d didn’t even know were possible but plans to practice them when he gets home.

“(Pool) deserves to get respect,” Murphy said. “People look at it, and they’ll always tell me, ‘I could beat you.’ But (then they realize) it’s harder than it looks. If we have big tournaments and wear suits,... it’ll change the pool industry.”

The “Rocket” vs. the “Magician”

On the tour, most players have a nickname and backstory. Rodney Morris, originally from Hawaii and now a Floridian, earned the nickname “Rocket” because of his propensity to break the rack and keep shooting without giving his opponent a chance to pick up a cue.

He finished an eight-game round in 24 minutes. In the semifinal round, he played Efren “the Magician” Reyes, a member of the BCA Hall of Fame. They were tied at seven, with the winner of game eight being one game closer to the finals.

Reyes held his cue tentatively, often walking around the table several times before taking his shot. Even though he hesitated before striking, it seemed that with a few taps of his wand, “the Magician” was sure to pull a victory out of his hat. But even after completing several nuanced shots, the crowd gasped in shock as a ball stopped just short of a pocket.

His spell at the table was broken, and Morris leaped up from his seat and ended the game quickly.
Morris may have appeared confident, but he confessed his heart was racing. He said he works out to elevate his heart rate and then practices so his shots will be steady under pressure.

In spite of Morris’ magnificent performance in the semi-finals, Reyes beat him in a rematch for the finals.

Video: Carrots speak out

Here's a quick video of carrots protesting bunny superiority. The carrots made signs reading, "Would you rather have large ears or a big root?" and "Vegans are murderers." So in the interest of fair and unbiased coverage I went to the source of this grass-roots movement. Click here for my earlier coverage: “Video: Billion Bunny March,” and “A hare-raising protest.”

Video: Billion Bunny March

I have footage of the hare-raising rebellion known as the Billion Bunny March at Burning Man. These cottontails shook their lucky feet to good melodies and leapt into action. First they listed their demands including the the bunnification of “The Man,” stop of animal testing and use of rabbit’s feet as lucky charms. Then they took over one of Black Rock City's five temporary radio stations and continued the march to Center Camp and out to the Man. This was at the protest of the carrots. To read more about the event read my earlier blog.

Rib Cook-off Newbie

Eydie Scher wrote this blog of her first experience with the Rib Cook-off. If you’d like to write about a local event send it to me at klarsen@rgj.com and I’ll post here. Thanks Eydie.

Nothing even vaguely considered healthy was on the menus. There were no signs of salads, not a shred of lettuce, and fruits were scarce. Wasn't anyone dieting anymore? Certainly not here. Throngs inhabited the entire area of Victorian Square. What was I expecting? The newspaper said 500,000 would partake of this year's festivities. I think most of them were there on Saturday when we were.

It was hot, very hot. The heat intertwined with the smoke from the grills. The nose breathed in the delicious scent. Sticky fingers were everywhere and these were the adults. Only newbie's like us came unprepared without the wet wipes for cleanup. But who cared?

Slabs were the order of the day. After all, this was the largest celebration of ribs in the country. Ribs were slathered in sauce and dripping from lips onto clothing. Rolls of paper towels were handed out but to no avail.

Trophies adorned numerous rib stands. Help! Who do we buy from? Luckily, we were with savvy friends who assisted in making the right choice. Actually, there couldn't be any wrong choices. Names or cities and states such as Chicago, New Jersey, and of course Texas stood out.

The lines were long but taste bowled you over. Teeth were a necessity although the meat peeled off the ribs with fingers. These ribs were good. No, make that great. They were the best we ever had. It's amazing calculating how many ribs were barbecued. 200,000 lbs or much more might be right.

This was more than a festival. This was an actual cook-off put on by the Nugget. Can you imagine trying to choose a winner among these fantastic ribs?

If you booked in advance, for $800, you can purchase a table for 8 that entitles you to unlimited food and drink and most importantly, shade. You get to eat at an umbrella table with chairs in a cordoned off area. Public shady seats were scarce.

It's almost an art, to down those ribs, dipping them in sauce, hanging onto a drink and do it all while standing up. This is the real deal.

Oh no, my husband was heading back to the line for seconds. I grabbed his shirt in time and the threat worked. He settled for fried onion rings that were the largest I've ever seen. Each was the size of an entire onion. Added to that were garlic fries and fried zucchini. An enormous ear of corn qualified as the only veggie.

Desserts walked by. Ice cream and churros were popular.

Music blared from speakers. I would have danced but there was no room to move let alone dance.

Attesting to the popularity of ribs is the fact that people were there from all over the country. Someone said they flew in from New York. Gee, don't they have Tony Roma's back there? But no restaurant can serve up barbecued ribs like these.

Either before pigging out or after, there were the arts and crafts stands. There was something for everyone. It's on our return list. Next year, we'll be residents of Sparks. Oh no, we'll probably go all 5 days!!!

VIDEO: Phone calls to God

Here's footage of the "Talk to God" booth that I blogged about earlier. To read about it click here. Many more videos including the Burning of the Man and the Temple Burn are on the way.

Burning Man footage on the way

Burning Man may be over, but a steady flow of multi-media projects will be appearing here over the next several days. Now that I'm back in civilization where there are quality internet connections, I'll be sharing the best of the fabulous footage I took at Burning Man. So check back to see the best of the Burn brought to your home computer.

Carnivore paradise

This Labor Day weekend brought on the 18th annual Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off at Victorian Square in Sparks. Reno locals as well as many out of towners crowded the streets of Victorian square for the fantastic aromas of mouthwatering barbecue ribs.

All week I dreamed of a paradise where delicious BBQ ribs were in every direction. I grew up eating the best ribs in the world provided by the master, Floyd Gray, my dad. I was extremely excited to go to the cook off this weekend and eat up a feast.

The biggest and best names in Barbequing were competing for a chance at $15,000 dollars in cash while serving their best to hundreds of rumbling tummies. The blistering sun didn't stop the enormous crowd from enjoying the outdoor activities the cook-off had to offer. There were fruit flavor snow cones, fresh lemonade, and ice cold beer.

There were also many activities for the young and old alike. Many bands such as WAR and deSol were playing this weekend along with carnival rides to entertain the kids. Right smack outside of the Century 14 cinema, dozens of children played in the fountain to keep cool from the sizzling summer sun.

Christina Weisgerber and her 2-year-old daughter Anabella played in the fountains and came from the Bay Area for the weekend. “We came for the cook off and had ribs from Chicago BBQ Co, it was definitely our favorite” said Weisgerber.

Even my (sort of) Vegetarian boyfriend Matt enjoyed a slab of ribs. Vegetarian ...yeah right.
The rib cook-off is a perfect end for the summer, a final lip-smacking treat that’s sure to satisfy the carnivore in everyone.