CAPPE's Tenth Annual ChiliFest is set for Saturday, February 4 from 4-6:30pm at Stovall Family Life Center beside First Church of the Nazarene, 1608 E. Broadway, Maryville. This is both a contest for prizes in four categories (beef, other meats and vegetarian chili) and a community tasting event.

The event begins at 4pm, with tasting and judging continuing until the winners are announced at 6:00pm. In addition to the different chilis and a variety of beverages, tortillas and quesadillas will be available along with a bake sale of delicious home-made treats. Everyone will be eligible to win door prizes.

Several previous winners are returning to ChiliFest to defend their titles. Judges will select the winning chefs in three categories and the general public will vote for the People's Choice winner. Four $50 prizes and ribbons will be awarded. January 31 is the entry deadline.

Suggested donation for admission is $7 at the door (children under 10 admitted free). Admission includes tastes of entries, one bowl of chili and one vote for the People's Choice winner.

For more information, call Mike Cook, CAPPE President 984 9003 or Susan Keller 982 4267.

CAPPE's Annual Meeting followed by the PlanET Workshop

Sunday, February 26, 1:30-4pm at Blount County Public Library, Dorothy Herron Room A

Please put Sunday, Feb. 26 at 1:30pm onto your calendar. CAPPE’s Annual Meeting is your opportunity to make your views known, learn about our plans for the year, and elect Board members. This is the first time we have held the Annual Meeting on a Sunday afternoon.

The program this year has an additional purpose: after our Annual Meeting adjourns, we are hosting the PlanET workshop on strengths and challenges facing our community. PlanET is a 3-year regional planning initiative that aims to “develop a Regional Plan for Livable Communities, develop regional capacity to improve the quality of life for the residents of this region, and create and implement an ambitious regionwide, multi-jurisdictional plan that will integrate economic development, environment, infrastructure and public health elements in a comprehensive manner to address area needs.” The counties participating in PlanET are Anderson, Blount, Knox, Loudon, and Union. You can read more about PlanET here: http://www.planeasttn.org/

Why is CAPPE hosting the PlanET workshop?

Several CAPPE Board members attended the Maryville PlanET workshop in November and afterwards CAPPE offered to host the workshop for our members. We want to ensure PlanET knows about our concerns about our heavily traveled unsafe roads and proposed wasteful spending on the PPE. PlanET is supposed to “develop a Regional Plan for Livable Communities.” A ‘livable community’ does not spend $100+ million of taxpayer funds on a highway we do not need – especially when this proposed highway will not improve our most congested roads that will remain crowded and unsafe.

Please attend this meeting and take this opportunity to make sure your concerns reach the elected officials who are responsible for PlanET.

John Lamb, Blount County Planner, will lead the workshop, during which each participant will have opportunities to identify major assets and challenges for our region. The results of our workshop will be combined by the PlanET staff with the results of other workshops to develop proposals for the future of our region.