Think your green is the greatest? Enter the Classic cookoff

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By Jacque Aragon

Special to The PREVIEW

Photo courtesy Jacque Aragon It will be time for some chile tastin’ when the crowd gathers at the Mountain Chile Cha Cha and partakes of the entries in the Patty Aragon Green Chile Classic. The event takes place in Town Park on Aug. 24. Photo courtesy Jacque Aragon
It will be time for some chile tastin’ when the crowd gathers at the Mountain Chile Cha Cha and partakes of the entries in the Patty Aragon Green Chile Classic. The event takes place in Town Park on Aug. 24.[/caption]

The eighth annual Mountain Chile Cha Cha is just around the corner, taking place on Saturday, Aug. 24 ,from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Town Park in downtown Pagosa Springs.

The Cha Cha includes a morning trail race for athletes of all ages and abilities, a free kid’s fun race, a green chile cookoff and tasting, and a free concert featuring local band Faculty X and Santa Fe’s  Manzanares.

The event is held rain or shine with a covered stage and admission is free.

Entries will be accepted for the sixth annual Patty Aragon Green Chile Classic cookoff through Aug. 23.

If you would like to compete, contact Jacque at 264-4237 to arrange a time to drop off your entry.

First place in Green Chile with Meat, Meatless Green Chile and Overall People’s Choice will win $200 each.

Additionally, trophies and medals will be awarded to the top three entrants in each category. If the judges and the people agree, one entrant could conceivably take home $600 in cash!

If you think you make a great green chile, now is the chance to prove it and possibly take home some cash, too. It’s just $5 per entry, and you can enter both categories, if you wish. Entry forms are available to download online at pagosaspringsdining.com.

The chile tasting will get underway at 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 24. Tasters are encouraged to put in their vote for the People’s Choice award.

Faculty X starts at 10 a.m. and Manzanares will hit the stage at 1:30 p.m., with a short break for the awards ceremony at 3:30.

The Mountain Chile Cha Cha is produced by GECKO, a Pagosa Springs-based nonprofit organization providing outdoor educational scholarships for local students.

For additional event and race signup information,  go to joingecko.org.