Falcon School District 49’s Transportation Department opened up their chili cook-off this year with 14 pots of chili for the judges to taste, along with a huge pot of homemade stew.The annual fundraiser for Santa’s Toy Express challenged the judge’s palettes with red chili, green chili and white chicken chili. Pots of chili arrived as early as 5 a.m. for the luncheon. Homemade cornbread, sopapillas and desserts were delivered to complete another perfect cook-off.After all the votes were cast by the judges, Mike Torres captured first place with his “Ten Spice Chili.” Joseph Lovato won second place, with John Graves and Leonard Woofter sharing third place honors. Comments were made that each pot of chili had its own distinct taste, which made the voting difficult.We would like to thank all of the District 49 support staff for their generous donations to Santa’s Toy Express. More than $600 was raised to help our students and their families dealing with special circumstances this Christmas. Students’ names have already arrived from our elementary schools, and phone calls are being made to insure that we fulfill our goal.“49 in D 49”Santa’s elves (bus drivers) have started making Christmas stockings for every child, as the hunt for new coats, hats, gloves and backpacks is under way in preparation for Santa’s big day. Our commitment as school bus drivers to the Falcon Community is stronger than ever and we look forward to making Saturday, Dec. 6 a day when the “dreams of the children” come true.
