Warm skies amid the beautiful fall weather brought huge crowds out to Oak Knoll Park this weekend for the 42nd annual Cypress Community Festival.
“The City of Cypress Welcome to the 42nd annual Cypress Community Festival,” said Mayor Pro-tem Scott Minikus opening the festival. “I am thrilled to be here today for this wonderful celebration of community every year I look forward to this weekend because apart from enjoying great entertainment and local vendors, the festival gives us a chance to come together as a community,” he added.
There was dancing, dance lessons, a car show, and of course, plenty of chili as cooks toiled in the September sun to pick a winner and just like last year, Dyno Dan Rodriquez took the coveted trophy home again. “Dyno Dan” Rodriquez, is a down-home, no-nonsense chef who is as comfortable behind the stove as he is in his regular job as an educator working with special needs students.
“You just never know,” said Rodriguez when interviewed by ENE.“I mean the secret is partly in the meat. I use a couple of different types of meat to contrast flavors and texture,” he said. This year, Rodriquez said he worked with another friend in the catering business to blend a special Italian sausage using smoked brisket.
“I’ll use sausage and that kind of gives it a different texture,” he said, “and, of course, a different flavor.”
This year, Dan said he eliminated pork altogether and used a new technique by cooking the chili, literally, inside the smoker. “It gave it a deeper smoke flavor,” he said.
Second place in the Chili cook-off went to Lugo Bros. Real Estate as Casa de Carne took third.
Santa Salsa won 1st place in the Best Salsa contest (they also won best booth decorating contest).
In the car show, the people’s choice was Kevin Wolford’s 1971 Chevy Chevelle while Robert Zwierz’s 1962 Chevy Business Coupe won Best in Show.
Brittney Cook, an official with the Cypress Festival Association, said overall, the festival went well and provided a tremendous weekend of togetherness for the community.
