Submitted by Jeanne Kay Guelke, President

The Creston Valley Food Action Coalition entered two events at the 2010 Creston Valley Blossom Festival. This “Long Weekend”/Victoria Day weekend event is arguably Creston’s biggest celebration.

Although we did not win or get a runner-up plaque at Sunday’s chili-cook-off sponsored by the Lion’s Club, we were able to serve delicious chili made entirely of local ingredients, excepting only the salt. [Too bland, maybe, but we can ramp up the proportions of locally-grown sizzling hot peppers, garlic, and herbs in next year's entry.] Our participation was successful as a great way to showcase local farmers and home gardeners who donated our ingredients. Our grateful thanks go to beef producers Charlene and Larry Rast of Big Rock Simmentals Meats and to Randy and Sheila Meyer for beef, Joanne & Drew Gaillius of Full Circle Farms for dried beans, and the Harris Family Dairy and Kootenay Alpine Cheese for their Nostrala cheese. Home gardeners belonging to the FAC and Greenheart Herbal Society who contributed vegetables, herbs, and spices were: Jean Hoover (Goat River Gardens), Carmen Rockwell-Hoover, Jeanne Kay Guelke, Heather More, and Karen Powis. Onions contributed by the gardeners were grown by Merv Sloss. Cooks Jeanne Kay Guelke and Miwa Heberer were seconded by servers Pat Huet and Len Guelke at Sunday’s event.

Our amazing success at our other event, a float in Saturday’s parade, netted us first place among the non-commercial entries! This outcome was a dream come true for FAC member Pat and husband Dave Huet, Anne Hepher, Jen Comer, Charlene and son Troy Rast, and Jeanne Kay Guelke. We gathered at the Huets’ shed in Canyon on the Wednesday before the parade, surveying the working flatbed trailer that was to become our float. With a little imagination and effort, plus some hay bales, farmers’ market sign and umbrella, lumber, banners made by D-Signs, garden tool props, plants, costumes, chicken coop with chickens, scarecrow, and baskets brimming with produce, the float took shape! Caroline Martin was busy with 4-H riders for the parade, but her chicken coop added an authentic touch; while Heide Wille loaned us her her scarecrow [stationed as a market vendor] and big produce baskets. These contributions contributed a lot of appeal to our float. Our banners displayed the Creston Valley Farmers’ Market and the Food Action Coalition, plus our motto, “Let’s Grow, Let’s Eat, Let’s Share.”

Anne Hepher and Charlene Rast made some hilarious costumes; enabling Jeanne and Anne to dress up as tomatoes; and Charlene and sons to dress up as pickles and an asparagus stalk. Pat and Greenheart Herbal Society member Irmgard Tromper dressed up as gardeners; while Greenheart member Lynne Reeb appeared as a sunflower. Len Guelke borrowed FAC secretary Val Comer’s bee keeper suit for the occasion, pinned a honey bee to his chest, and walked behind the float (waving to the cheering crowd.)

Our real hero of this event is Dave Huet, who contributed amazing carpentry skills and materials to make a prize-winning float, and who towed it with his tractor during the parade. Our blue ribbon justifiably now is in Dave’s hands as a memento of his incredible contribution to our float.

Our $50 in prize money will further support FAC goals of supporting local producers and local diets through our current projects.

We sincerely hope that these fun events will help spread the word about the CVFAC, the Farmers’ Market, the Greenheart Herbal Society, and the common causes we support.

(If anyone has additional photos of either the parade or the cook-off they’d like to submit to our photo gallery here on the website, please email them to cvfoodaction@yahoo.ca with the photographer’s name. These don’t have to be high resolution.)