The absence of snow was no deterrent for Snowdown participants who dressed in penguin onesies and top hats and flocked to events during the second day of Snowdown, invigorated by the warm weather and sunny skies. Here is a roundup of Thursday’s biggest attractions:
Eating large quantities of food while being timed can be uncomfortable, but when it’s wings slathered in hot sauce, it’s a whole lot harder. That didn’t stop numerous contestants from trying to beat the heat Thursday afternoon during the Most Elegant Hot Wing Eating Contest at Animas City Theatre. The event was hosted by Cuckoo’s Chicken House, and the wings were covered in a sauce hotter than any on the menu. And while the competitors started off strong, the tears started to fall by Round 5. For the first five rounds, contestants had 1 minute to eat a hot wing, followed by a 1-minute break. As the event progressed, the time changed to 45 seconds, 30 seconds and so forth. The contestants started to drop like flies by Round 6, despite encouraging cheers from the audience.
In the end, Mark Mitchell survived 18 rounds to be declared the winner. “I’m feeling better than you’d probably think,” he said. “I’m feeling like a champion.” His prize? Although he probably can’t stomach any right now, Mitchell will receive one order of wings a month for an entire year from Cuckoo’s.
In an event closely mirroring “Chopped” on the Food Network channel, contestants in the Iron Mixologist competition at El Moro Spirits & Tavern had to call on their bartending expertise as they faced off against one another to prepare a delicious cocktail for the judges.
The catch? They had to use all of the mystery ingredients provided to them by El Moro, no matter how strange or unappetizing they might have been. Contestants each took turns mixing drinks with the clock bearing down on them in the hopes that they would be crowned the Iron Mixologist champion and receive the coveted Golden Bar Spoon and a $75 El Moro gift card. “It’s always a lot of work to build a bar and tear it down for this event, but it’s a great community event,” said General Manager Dave Woodruff. “People really get into it.”
It was rowdy fun at the Big Wheel Derby at Balcony Bar & Grill Thursday afternoon. The rules were simple: Chug a beer before doing a timed lap around the balcony. Although actual big wheel bicycles were absent, contestants had to race on kiddie bikes with training wheels. Several contenders took a spill around the first turn – much to the audience’s amusement – and one man got sick, but it was all smiles and good sportsmanship at Snowdown’s first event of the day.
For more Snowdown photos and coverage, visit The Durango Herald’s Snowdown page at www.durangoherald.com/snowdown.
