Howdy Neighbors,

What a great day! Thank you to everyone who came out for this year’s Homestead Chili Cook-Off. Despite the pouring rain at 1:00 p.m., the skies cleared just in time for our 1:30 p.m. tasting, and it was wonderful to see so many neighbors show up ready to eat, visit, and enjoy the afternoon together.

A big thank you to our cooks for the incredible chilis they prepared. The competition was strong this year, and many of the pots were empty by the end of the tasting!

Congratulations to our winners:

Chili
🥇 1st Place: Ross Latham
🥈 2nd Place: Shikhar Singh
🥉 3rd Place: Karie Pratt

Cornbread
🏆 Winner: Reagan Wenglar

And thank you to the more than 100 neighbors who cast ballots to help determine the winners.

We’d also like to thank the many people who helped make this event possible:

• Ross and Janet Latham, for generously hosting the cook-off on their property

• Our volunteers, who helped organize, set up, keep things running smoothly, and clean up afterward

• The band, who were fantastic and brought great energy to the event

It was great to see so many people chatting, reconnecting with friends, and meeting new neighbors throughout the afternoon. We even came close to running out of tasting cups—but the cooks managed to run out of chili just in time!

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A quick note on event funding

Putting on events like this takes a real community effort. Many volunteers donate their time, but there are still meaningful costs involved. This year we helped reimburse cooks for ingredients, provided Cutco knives as prizes, and rented several large tents to make sure the event could happen rain or shine.

Even with the generous donations we received, we ended up a few hundred dollars short of covering the total cost of the event. We want to continue offering high-quality neighborhood gatherings like this, and community support helps make that possible.

If you attended and haven’t yet had a chance to donate—or if you’d like to contribute a little more—please consider doing so. Every bit helps ensure we can keep hosting events like this in the future.

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Share your photos!

We’ve created a shared Google Photo album where you can upload pictures from the cook-off. The album will remain open for uploads for a few more days, so please add your photos here. 

We look forward to seeing everyone’s pictures from the day.

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Next up: Paellafest

Our next neighborhood gathering will be the Homestead / Meadowfox Paellafest, taking place on May 9th on Lone Rider Trail in Meadowfox Estates. More details will be shared soon.

Thanks again to everyone who came out and helped make this year’s cook-off such a success. Events like this are what make our neighborhood such a special place to live.

 

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Hello Neighbors,

Join us on Saturday, March 7th at the Lathams’ home (13104 Roundtop Circle) starting at 1 p.m. for an afternoon of great chili, live music, and community fun — featuring live music from Overland Divide!

Weather Plan ☔

The forecast currently shows a chance of rain, but the Chili Cook-off is happening rain or shine. We’ll have plenty of coverage set up with two 20×20 tents and one large 20×40 tent, providing ample sheltered space for guests. Consider bringing folding chairs, as seating will be limited.

A little rain won’t slow us down—we expect a great afternoon of chili tasting, live music, and visiting with friends and neighbors.

Out of an abundance of caution, we will also be monitoring real-time lightning detection apps throughout the event. If lightning is detected nearby, we will temporarily move everyone indoors until it passes.

Otherwise, the tents will keep everyone comfortable, so come hungry and ready to enjoy the cook-off—rain or shine!

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🌶️ Event Details

Where: Lathams’ home — 13104 Roundtop Circle
When: Saturday, March 7
Arrival: 1:00 p.m.
Tasting is from: 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Voting is from: 1:30 - 2:45 p.m. Voting is online this year. See posted flyers or click here to vote. You can also vote by scanning the following QR code:

Parking

• Cooks + show cars/motorcycles: please drive in and park in the field

• All others: please park on the street and walk in

Refreshments
We’ll provide limited beer, wine, and water. Feel free to bring beverages to share in the Community Cooler.

Donations (Thank You!)
Contributions to help cover event costs are appreciated and can be made at the event or in advance here.

RSVP
No RSVP is needed for general attendees. Cooks and volunteers: please sign up using the links below.

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🎶 Live Music: Overland Divide

We’re excited to have Overland Divide playing live at this year’s cook-off — come hungry and stay for the music!

Band members include: Lance Anderson, Kyle Bender, Elizabeth Guess, Taylor Guess, Scott McGarrahan, and Colby Norton.

The band will be featured on the pool side stage!

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✅ Ways to Participate

🍲 Chili Cooks (People’s Choice)

Want to compete for prizes and bragging rights? Sign up here. 
New this year: The Homestead Social Fund will contribute $75 per cook toward ingredients (details in the form).

🌽 Cornbread Competition

Bring your cornbread by 1:30 p.m. A serving table will be provided, and a 1st place prize will be awarded. No RSVP needed.

🚗 Car & Motorcycle Show

If you’d like to display a car or motorcycle, simply drive in and park in the field before 1:00 p.m. No RSVP needed.

🙋 Volunteers Needed

We need a few more neighbors to help make the day run smoothly. View available jobs and sign up here. 

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🏆 Prizes