Even the coronavirus pandemic can’t stop the town of Ignacio from holding its annual Green Chile Fest on Sept. 12.
Once the green chiles start roasting, community members know it’s time to celebrate one of the town’s spiciest traditions. Last year, Ignacio and Farmington even amped up the Colorado-New Mexico green chile rivalry by holding their own (friendly) interstate competition. This year, the event is gradually coming together despite the pandemic.
“It’s always nerve-racking at the end (of planning),” said Sharon Craig, event organizer. “This year, we’re just trying to make sure that we follow state guidelines on outdoor events.”
The free, outdoor event will take place from 2 to 6 p.m. Sept. 12 at the ELHI Community Center. It will feature a juggling performance at 5 p.m. and demonstrations by Ignite Gymnastics. Lacey Black, a country musician, and Reeder and Spencer, who cover songs from the 1950s to ’80s, will provide live music.
“A lot of entertainers have lost a lot of their ways of being able to perform, so we thought we would try to have two this year,” Craig said.
Rather than a green chile cook-off, 2019 winners Carlos Lerma and Susan Halkin will serve their winning chile and salsa recipes.
The cornhole tournament, a beanbag-toss game, will go on mostly as usual. The cornhole boards will be farther apart and teams must bring their own bags. Each team of two people pays $30 to enter, and the winner will receive a cash prize.
Proceeds from the event will go to the Ignacio Chamber of Commerce.
Organizers plan to include public health signs, two hand-washing stations and hand sanitizer to reduce the chances of coronavirus transmission at the outdoor event. Masks are recommended, not required, for vendors who will be spaced farther apart. Attendees can also sign in for contact tracing in case of viral spread at the event.
Some aspects are still coming together even in the last days before the event. So far, only three vendors said they will join. One person is selling spicy jellies, and the local chapters of Future Farmers of America and Family, Career and Community Leaders of America will serve drinks.
The Ignacio Creative District will create an Artists Alley, a temporary gallery featuring the work of local artists, but the district needs more people to sign up.
The main goal is to give locals a chance to enjoy a sense of community, Craig said.
“Obviously, it’s going to be smaller than normal. That’s fine,” she said. “We want people in our community to come out and feel like they’re part of the community.”
