MGA Mid-Atlantic Chapter

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2008 Chili Party

March 29, 2008

Lions to lambs, the Ides to beware,
Madness with roundball and milk chocolate hare.
Leprechauns hiding their pots of gold too,
If you’re not true blood Irish, then luck be with you.
For its luck you will need to win this year’s fame,
Be it best chili or parts box or trivia game.
Enter all three or play something partial
When an answer eludes you, simply guess like Bill Marshall.
We’ll have prizes for chili and all the games too,
Real chili, now mind you, not canned Hormel Stew.
So be sure to drop by for an evening of fun,
And drive your MG, if she wants to run.

— Thanks to Chapter Poet Keith Kallapos for our first Chili Party Ode!

Keith and Kathy Kallapos hosted this year’s Chili Party just in time for the spring cherry blossoms. The Kallapos menagerie of two dogs, three turtles, numerous goldfish, the Union Jack and a rescued pig, welcomed us for an afternoon of chili tasting.

After a long winter apart, greetings and libations were the first order of the day. Steve and Nancy Woodall, Ruth Arnold, Butch and Judy Smith, John Padgett, Bill and Kathy Wemhoff, Bill and Karen Marshall, Martha Ludkte, Ken and Joyce Lawrence, Liz Ten Eyck, Dick and Cheryl Farwell, Amy Rothberg, Helen and Toby Fitzkee mixed and mingled as they set up chili and side dishes.

Early on, a few of the men disappeared to Keith's basement shop to view his project car, a 1958 1500 Roadster. It didn't take long for the whole party to descend into the shop to see Keith’s very first car, “The Mistress,” with her fenders on and a new paint job. There were oohhs and ahhhs over the professional looking paint job and the final selection of the color, a custom British racing green, which even met with Karen Marshall’s approval.

Now on to the main events! Chili tasting, trivia quiz, kitchen and parts box guessing, eating, drinking and catching up with each other!

This years chili entries were a mixed bag of flavors, from mild to 2-alarm, with a white chicken chili rounding out the field. A tie for first place was broken by John Padgett’s last minute vote. The much-surprised Nancy Woodall narrowly dethroned long-time reigning chili champion Butch Smith. Butch was required to cook chili with one hand behind his back while blindfolded under the “BS Rules of Engagement” put forth by Chapter President Bill Marshall. Amid cries of “The King is dead, long live the Queen!” the coveted first place title was conveyed to Nancy, Butch snagged second place and Kathy Wemhoff finished third. Each winner received a bottle of wine to celebrate or commiserate!

Avid car buff (?) Kathy Kallapos devised the Chili Party Cook Off, Take No Prisoners Trivia Quiz. A challenging quiz comprised of 30 questions and obscure facts designed to separate the “buffs” from the “obsessed.” Butch and Judy Smith took first place, Dick and Cheryl Farwell second, and John Padgett clinched third place.

Equally mystifying was this years Kitchen box with an odd collection of kitchen and household items from the Kallapos kitchen. Since Kathy doesn’t do much cooking, the box was interesting to say the least. First place winner was Helen Fitzkee, who single handedly (really!) beat out the competition. Karen Marshall came in 2nd and Liz Ten Eyck claimed 3rd place. What was that twisted piece of metal anyway?

John Padgett brought his custom made MG logo box filled with assorted parts and pieces from his abundant collection of “A” parts. Keith Kallapos came in 1st place, claiming that he had been intimate with most of those parts in the past 3 years of his restoration. Dick Farwell took second place with long-time club member Butch Smith finishing third.

The evening ended with much laughter and merriment as the prizes were awarded. Many thanks to Butch and Judy Smith for buying the prizes for this years games! (Is it just me or did Butch win a fair amount of those prizes?)

We are all looking forward to another year of fun events with old and new friends and hopefully, perfect top down weather!

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