Viewpoint: This time of year, Holtville is a happening place

The next few weeks Holtville will be the happening place with the Rib Cook-Off scheduled for Saturday at Samaha Park, the 65th annual Carrot Festival festivities starting Feb. 3, with cooking contests leading up to the parade Feb. 11. The Holtville High School class of 1952 will be celebrating its 60th reunion the evening of Feb. 11.

Each year members of the Holtville Athletic Club do an outstanding job planning and running the Rib Cook-Off, one of the most popular events in the county. This will be the 21st year of its existence. Twenty-six teams are entered.

Members of the Blue Angels flight demonstration team will again be contest judges, and there will still be an ice cream and pie contest, as well as entertainment. First prize for the Judges Choice ribs is $1,000. First-place winner last year was the “Just Want To BBQ” team, headed up by Jimmy Adame of Imperial. He and his crew, made up of family and friends, have competed in national events. The team belongs to the Kansas City BBQ Association.

“It has taken me a long time to get it just right,” Adame said.


The first Carrot Festival activity will be the annual Chamber of Commerce Banquet on Feb. 3. It will be held at 6:30 p.m., at the newly reopened Barbara Worth Country Club. At this affair the Holtville Citizen of the Year, and the Carrot Festival queen and princesses will be named.

Last year’s Citizen of the Year was the late Mike Johnson, founder of Turning Point Ministries. Trudy Gaddis was the 2011 Carrot Festival Queen, Autumn Bisi was the princess, and Annie Britschgi was the junior princess. This year two girls are vying for queen, seven girls for princess, and four for junior princess.

On Feb. 4 the third annual Music Fest will be held at Hot Rods & Beer starting at 5 p.m. Holtville Rotary Club’s “No Bones About It BBQ,” will be taking place at Holt Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 5. Residents are encouraged to pick up their barbecue plates for their Super Bowl parties.

The Carrot Festival cooking contest starts Feb. 6 for elementary, middle school and high school entrants. All the contests will be held at the Civic Center. They are sponsored by the Holtville Soroptimist Club. Entry forms are available at the Holtville Chamber of Commerce.

Feb. 7 the adult salad, vegetable and main dish division of the contest will be held. On Feb. 8, adult chef Breads, desserts and appetizer division competition will take place. Feb. 9 at 3 p.m., senior chef/miscellaneous category will start at 3 p.m. Open chef/energy saving and international cuisine cooking contest will begin at 6 p.m.

Winners of the adult cooking categories compete Friday night at 6 pm for the sweepstakes finals cook-off at the Civic Center. Last year’s sweepstakes winner was Mari Lynn Pemberton of Brawley.

Saturday, Feb. 11, runners can compete in the Carrot Festival Mile and 5K races starting at 7 a.m. Holt Park will be full of booths featuring arts and crafts and food.

The parade starts at 10 a.m., featuring school children, bands, floats, antique cars and tractors and equestrian groups. The Student Art Show will be open in the Civic Center from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be entertainment throughout the day in the gazebo, and the carnival will be open from noon to 11 p.m.

We, of the Holtville High School class of 1952, will be getting reacquainted with our classmates to celebrate our 60th anniversary Saturday night. For Martin Herrle, of Morehead City, N.C., it will be his first reunion.

Feb. 12, starts off with the Dia de la Familia Cook-Off Competition. Arts and craft booths will be open in Holt Park from 9 a.m. till dusk, and the carnival opens at 11 a.m.

Hope to see you all in Holtville for the Carrot Festival.