Bandit Town’s Hot Chili
They held a Chili Cook-Off in Bandit Town near North Fork in the Sierra this past Saturday, and there were several reasons why I had to head up there.
For one thing, I like chili — a lot. And I knew it was going to be a gorgeous autumn day at the 3,000 foot level. And my family has “history” in that area. So, yes, I took the drive from our place at Tesoro Viejo in Madera County, and it was a delightful experience.
Bandit Town was built, decades ago, by members of the Klette family of North Fork. They are one of the original “blue bloods” in the area. They originally called it “Old Town,” and it was constructed with an 1880’s or ’90’s Western motif.
But family members drifted away — or lost interest — and the “town” sat there for years until an entrepreneur named Jennifer McMillan showed up — restored Old Town to its original glory — and renamed it “Bandit Town” after the clothing line she runs — Bandit Brand.
Now, Bandit Town is the site of concerts and weddings and, yes, fundraisers, like Saturday’s Chili Cook- Off put on by the North Fork Women’s Club.
For the $5 entry fee, you could sample home-made chili from 10 separate booths. Then you could vote on your favorite. The winner got a cash prize — either $75 or $100, no one was quite sure. And your “prize” for sampling their wares was, well, chili.
The chili makers were enthusiastic, their stuff was good, and it had colorful and memorable names. For example, Dee Salazar named her creation “DEE-licious Mountain Chili.” Julie Smith called the booth where she handed out her chili “The Danger Zone.”
There was “Sandye’s Most Famous Chili,” and nearby was Autumn Bates’ “Hot-Shot Chili.” And what old-style, wild-west chili cook-off would it be without “Hillbilly Chili,” created by one Ryan Wayte?
Truth to tell, there was way too much chili — even for me. I got through helpings from a half-dozen booths, but after that, I was starting to feel the pressure of the moment — in my stomach, of course. I just couldn’t eat any more of the hot stuff.
Besides — I’m a lousy judge of chili, among other foods. After my fifth or sixth helping of different creations, I couldn’t remember which one from which booth tasted which way.
In any case, I wanted to leave a little room for a big slice of cake, which the women’s club was selling inside Bandit Town’s saloon. And, of course, I needed a couple of Diet Pepsi’s to wash it all down.
At the end, I fulfilled my duty — I voted for my favorite chili from those I had tasted. I did not hang around long enough to see if my choice won.
But before I left, I spent a bit of time with Connie Popelish of the North Fork History Group. Everyone in those parts knows Connie, as well they should. In addition to helping create the history group, she spent decades as an archeologist for the Sierra National Forest. Yes, she knows just about everything there is to know about the history and topography of that area.
As we walked around Bandit Town — she was just getting started sampling the chili — numerous folks came up and extended warm “hello’s” to her.
And while I wasn’t well-known, I was treated oh-so-nicely by everyone I encountered. That’s the way I’ve found mountain residents to be, whenever I’ve had occasion to travel to North Fork. I hope that’s the way Mom and Dad found them to be, so long ago, when they briefly ran the general store in North Fork.
Sometimes I’ve wondered what life would have been like for me if they’d stayed up there and I had gone to school in that area.
But there’s no need for me to wonder about what had happened in Bandit Town. It was, simply and happily, another fine Saturday in the life of the world.