Food Events All Week

Fortuna’s Centennial Chuck Wagon

By Meg Wall-Wild

Fortuna Rodeo Week provides the grub, pot rustlers and bean masters. The Fortuna Chamber’s week-long Chili Cook-O invites you to search participating Fortuna restaurants for the best chili-slinging in town. This year, not all o erings come in a bowl. Curious? Read on.

Fortuna’s nonprofi ts show there is a reason that Cookie was second only to the trail boss, making sure all hands get a rib stickin’ meal. Saturday is your chance to fi ll up on Kiwanis pancakes. Sunday’s famous barbecue has 2 tons of beef and sides, measured by the gallon. This year, Humboldt Beer Distributing was tapped to serve up cold suds. Its selection of 805, Eel River and Lost Coast Brewery brews will satisfy that powerful thirst. Mike’s Hard Lemonade and Eel River’s Clarity hard sparkling water will soothe when you want to change it up. The rodeo cooks know cowpokes work up a powerful appetite and they won’t let you go hungry. No need to stampede!

Sunday July 11 to Sunday July 18 - One hundred years of bulls and broncos inspires more than the usual fare. The Fortuna Chamber of Commerce reimagined its annual Chili Cook-Off to mark the centennial. Local restaurants compete for your vote! Each participating restaurant has a chili-themed dish to tempt you. Even Starbucks and Shotz are throwing hats into the ring, hoping to win the coveted trophy and $150 cash award (courtesy of Redwood Capital Bank). And most importantly, the bragging rights.

Finally, your chili obsession can bring its own rewards. Grab your Chili CookOff Restaurant Passport (fi nd it in this guide!) and taste the delights of Fortuna’s contenders. Eat and vote as many times as you like at more than 10 participating restaurants (check www.fortunachamber. com/chili2021 for up-to-date list). Present your passport to be stamped and earn a chance in one of 10 random drawings worth $50 each. You can also pick up a passport at the Fortuna Chamber of Commerce o ce (735 14th St.). Spit out the bit and chomp on the Chili Cook-O all week long!

Friday, July 16 to Sunday, July 18 - Strap on the feedbag and enjoy the Fortuna Rodeo with a stoked belly. Fortuna’s community organizations will not disappoint! The Fire Ladies Auxiliary will feed you hearty hamburgers and hot dogs with a smile. The Humboldt County CattleWomen rustle up a tri-tip that will knock those Tony Lamas right o . The Fortuna Boosters give a nod to surf and turf with oysters and burritos. Refreshments are ready to wet that whistle, too. Later, the 4-H waits with scoops in hand for when you need an ice cream cool-down. What’s missing? Just you and your appetite. Lasso up your victuals at the Rodeo Grounds on Friday night (Bull Fighters Only/Quadiators), Saturday night (Bulls, Broncs, Bands & Brews) and all weekend during the rodeo.

Beer starts to fl ow on Friday night when the gates open at 6 p.m. for Bull Fighters Only! Grab a beer starting at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Enjoy Eel River Brewing Co.’s new premium Climax 100, a beer for those in need of light heat relief. Pace yourself. The hometown brewery’s IPA will be waiting for you at Bulls, Broncs, Bands & Brews. Sunday is Humboldt Beer Distributing Day at the Rodeo. Thank them for keeping your thirst at bay!

Saturday, July 17th - The road to the Centennial Fortuna Rodeo is paved with pancakes. Imagine the kids, covered in sticky syrup, full bellies, smiling faces — and you don’t have to clean the kitchen! Rub the sleep out of your eyes and head down to the Rohner Park Cook Shack. The early risers of the Fortuna Kiwanis Club start serving stacks at 7 a.m. It’s a steal of a meal deal at $7 or $5 for children under 7.

Need a great excuse to enjoy sausage and eggs? How about helping a local teen with a scholarship funded by breakfast? Every pancake sold supports children’s activities in Humboldt County. Leave with a fed family and a bad dad pun preloaded: “Orange juice glad you helped make kids happy?”

Cowpokes start their day with a stack and a strong cup of joe (or cold milk for younger range riders). Hit the chowline early as the griddle shuts down at 11 a.m. before watching the parade, then hit the seats to watch those cowboys and cowgirls in action! Your stomach and the Kiwanis will thank you.

Sunday, July 18 - Pop the car hood in your driveway and neighbors come out to help. Light up a barbecue pit and the

The Deep Pit BBQ is Sunday monring. Left: The pit crew hauls up the barbecued beef on Sunday morning. Above: The pit crew in action on Saturday night. File photos

whole town comes out! The Fortuna Rodeo Deep Pit BBQ starts at the Fortuna Fire Hall at 7 a.m. on Saturday, when the Seasoning Crew sprinkles its secret blend of spices over the meat. A fi re big enough to cook 4,000 pounds of beef demands constant attention. The Fire Crew sets it to fl ame at 4 p.m., tending it throughout the night and adding fuel every hour. Coals must be just the right temperature before the beef is laid in the pit around 1 a.m. The dedication! The meat emerges transformed between 10 and 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. Can you smell it?

Is 80 gallons of potato salad enough? Will the coveted bean recipe remain safe? Will 1,800 rolls stand up to plate swipings? The Serving Crew will sling your sides and the Meat Crew will accept your “ooohs” and “ahhhs” as they pile your plate.

The hungry will be fed at the Fortuna Rodeo Grounds from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., or earlier if the meat runs out. Do NOT be the fi rst person to walk away empty handed. Get there early! The $20 heaping plate will fi ll up your stomach’s most remote corners. Buy your tickets online at www.fortunarodeo.com/tickets. Thanks to Pacifi c Pastures and Eel River Organic Beef for their sponsorship of the Fortuna Rodeo BBQ, for the legends of summer are not ballplayers but pitmasters.✪