Dear friends:
Where can you see tractors doing a square dance, goats prancing, and sopranos singing opera arias? Why it’s Garrett County of course. Really I did all that last week and more. Not only that but I was also a judge at the annual Chili Fest.
This was my first time judging a chili contest and believe it or not there are a whole bunch of rules- it’s all done very professionally. I didn’t realize that chili has no beans in it. I am used to making it with a lot of beans but this was strictly meat. They had 9 entries for the green chili and 24 for the red kind. That is a lot of tasting. The winning prize was about $900 plus an entry to the World Chili Championship, so there was a lot riding on the competition. I think the chili I scored as No.2 was the winner, so my taste buds must be OK. The Chili festival is held at the WISP (where the ski slopes are) every year in August and they had musical entertainment and many vendors. The craziest part was the raw pepper eating contest. A whole bunch of people volunteered to eat raw jalapeno, habanera and serrano peppers. A few had to withdraw halfway through, but 2 eagerly munched away at the habaneras. One guy even drank from a bottle of hot sauce!
The county fair began the day after and was on for the whole week. If you have never been to a county fair, you really should try it. Ours has animals (goats, pigs, sheep, rabbits, cows, horses), yummy fair food (funnel cakes and rotary fries are my favorites), carnival rides, entertainment and of course those square dancing tractors. You can spend the whole day there and not spend a whole bunch.
At the end of the week I was lucky enough to attend a night at the opera at Our Town Theatre in Oakland. We had delicious appetizers and wine and three lovely singers entertained us with a range of music.
It’s almost September and that usually marks the end of summer, but September and October are just incredible months in Deep Creek. Days are still warm, but evenings are cool and the leaves start changing soon into those glorious reds and yellows. The Art and Wine Festival is coming up on September 12, and the Iron Man Triathlon the weekend after that. So please check us out in the coming months.
I am still offering a free two night mid-week stay for our soldiers who have served in Afghanistan or Iraq. So if you know someone who has recently served in Iraq or Afghanistan and deserves a free two night stay at the B&B please email me their particulars. I will select two soldiers every month for as long as our soldiers are there (I will need proof of their service). I hope for their sake that peace breaks out soon, but I am honored to able to show support for our brave men and women in this small way.
One of our guests described Haley Farm as "chicken soup for the traveler". We couldn't agree more. We want to be the respite from peoples’ busy lives. Here you can unwind, enjoy the beautiful scenery, and allow us to pamper you with great food and hospitality. So if you are in need of a little indulgence, why not head out our way. Even two days here will make you forget the traffic and bills you left behind.
Wishing you much joy, love and laughter
Kam
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