Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/693447
18 nJuly 2016n www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS by Don Kline RIVERSIDE, CALIF., MAY 28— Sunday morning saw me riding down Magnolia Avenue under the May gray to the Arlington Chili Cook-off and Car/Cycle Show, an event put on by the Arlington Business Partnership (ABP) which promotes Arlington Businesses and helps stimulate the local economy. I turned left onto Jackson Street and into the parking lot of St. Thomas the Apostle Church to park my bike; yeah, they do charge fi ve bucks to park but the convenience of being near the event is nice. The parking is free on the streets around the event, which is on Magnolia Avenue itself, and runs from Van Buren Boulevard to Jackson Street. I arrived around 9:30 a.m. and the ven- dors, bands, contestants and event staff were still getting settled in. This event is made up of many parts. Down at the south end is where the Chili and Salsa Contest tents are, I counted about 15 different booths taking part in the contest. Some had colorful names, like B&M Double Flush Chili, Gear Jammers Chili, Horney Toad Chili and BS Chili. I saw a couple of local restaurants taking part in the contest, and I also saw that the Inland Empire Derby Divas had a booth and three of their team members were rolling around promoting their chili and team. There was a booth where for $5 you got a kit for six tastings. I saw several tents with long lines. Many of the contestants ran out of chili at times. The vendors were selling quite an assortment of goods; some were selling food and drinks, some had hats, jewelry and personal items, and some were selling bubble makers which seemed to be a popular item at this event as I found myself at times being surrounded in bubbles. Among them you could buy solar panels, or news- paper subscriptions from the LA Times and Press-Enterprise and receive a gift. You could also get satellite televi- sion service, energy-effi cient windows and doors, and healthcare. I saw among the food vendors the now-popular bacon-wrap dogs, and chicken being cooked on a rotisserie. I can attest that the strawberry lemon- ade that I saw everyone else drinking was delicious and was nice to have as the clouds cleared out and the weather warmed up. By 10:00 a.m. the air was tempt- ing your nose and taste buds with the aroma of chili, chicken and hot dogs and your ears were enjoying the sounds of the bands playing their music on the two stages. There was the main stage by the chili contest area that featured the bands Actual Size, Soul Shake and the Tinsley Miller Blues Band playing. They also announced the chili contest winners here. The venue where I spent most of my time wa s the Community Stage, which was on the corner of Magnolia Avenue and Donald Street. It was kind of surreal to be sitting at a table in the middle of what is normally a very busy inter- section listening to a band on a street with your name on it and seeing the stoplights change. The bands playing on this stage were Do Wrong Right, Retro Blast (who had a special appearance by Elvis), Dianthus, a three-woman band playing metal, and then Smoking Guns who played a variety of rock and country. The car and cycle part of the show, hosted by The Rickshaw Car Club of Riverside, had 160 cars entered. There used to be a space for motorcycles in the show but now they are positioned throughout the show. I counted about six motorcycles regis- tered. I was on sort of a photojournal- ist's treasure hunt. I liked that there was a variety of vehicles including low riders, rat rods, VW Bugs, vans and trucks, and that some were chromed and painted and others were in primer. The win- ners of the car and cycle show were announced at around 4:30 p.m. and the three winners of the motorcy- cle show went to Larry Sosa for his Softail, Gary and Glenda Fleming for their 1999 Softail, and someone only identifi ed as Paul for his 2016 Street Glide. The Flemings were the only ones at the stage; they were really happy and had their own fan club cheering for them. As for the chili contest win- ners, those I did not get as they are announced at the same time as the car and cycle show winners. You can see those winners at ABP's website and get other information if you want to go next year and I do recommend you go. You can bring everybody in the family and enjoy a variety of activities. It draws a large crowd that tends to grow around 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. The event takes place on the Saturday before Memorial Day. (www.riversideabp.com) 4 14TH ANNUAL ARLINGTON CHILI COOK-OFF AND CAR/CYCLE SHOW Chillin' with chili May gray won't keep 'em away Lines were long waiting to taste the chili samplings Gary and Glenda Fleming (l) with their award-winning 1999 Softail (r) G d Gl d Fl i (l) ith th i d i i 1999 S ft il ( )