The Fest called Zest!

The fest was called zest
And I can say what I saw
Lots of fun and excitement
Was had by all

Now opinions may differ
Cause some came for fun
Some were here to do business
And some came for day one

To my surprise
The Creator was there
His threats of staying in Jersey
Were just a scare

There he was
At the show alone
The Createss wasn’t with him
I think it was his clone

It started on Thursday
Well for some it was true
Those that had booths
Had to play set-up crew

Its not as easy
When you work the show
If you’re there just to party
You never really know

There is a lot of work
And things to be done
All in the name
Of making your sauce #1

Much Much More below the fold

After many hours
And you all agree
Your booth is as good
As its going to be

You finally head back
And get something to eat
Hoping for some time
To rest those feet

After not much time
You need to go
Its all about
The “nite-time” show

Its not really mentioned
Like a unwritten rule
For those that party
This is their school

As the sun went down
And the night began
The H3 Ranch
Soon became H-S-B ran

As everyone descended
Most from the HSB
People that had spoken
But never before did see

As they arrived over time
The group had grown
From 1 large table
To the H3 being overthrown

Some memorable times
Are remembered by all
Each person has stories
Of what they saw

When Ryan walked in
And was next to the truth
I knew when they found out
I needed the proof

So as they were introduced
The camera flashed
Capturing an image
That is sure to last

Two arch rivals
From the blog collide
And ended up being
On each others side

There were so many people
A lot from the blog
All in one place
It was quite a mob

Before you knew it
It was last call
Despite the many boos
It looked over for all

So across the street
To another bar
That had been quite empty
That night so far

A couple more hours
For drinking and chattin
Stories were told
About hot sauce happenings

The sharpies came out
On good ole MSK’s head
Everyone tried to sign
But then the sharpies went dead

Still time for more
Plenty of beer
The chilehead crowd
Was spreading the cheer

The night was over
The festivities had begun
ZF 2006 didn’t start out a crawl
But as a full run

Friday was early
For those working the show
Get to the booth
Its 8am, gotta go

The show wasn’t open to the public
Just the vendors that be
And this year they added
So the collector’s could see

Good for them
They all got to sleep
Cause waking up early
Wasn’t for the meek

It was a perfect day
A chance to look
And pick-up the collectibles
You wanted to hook

A quick make of the rounds
And before you know
You gathered all the special bottles
From this years show

Each one is unique
And has a story of its own
Im not going to mention them here
Cause they are all well known

The morning passed by
And a surprise was in store
Huv and his brother
Showed up to add more

Not sure what that was
Maybe some fatkids sauce
Or just to be there
So as not to feel loss

Huv, I could tell
Some stories I saw
But that’s not fair
There is that brotherly law

It’s nothing bad
Just busting his chops
Just be glad it wasn’t him
Trying on one of those pink tops

The afternoon slowed down
And was literally dead
It started to feel
Like something you dread

Finally it was time
Show day 1 to an end
Time to head back
And get ready again

For the awards dinner
Was later that night
It what the manufacturers really
Had in their site

To claim a prize
Or a victory
A little golden chile
For everyone to see

It means so much more
To the ones who make
To have their sauces
Considered great

It’s certainly an honor
To achieve such a prize
Any placement in the top three
Is something in my eyes

Its off to the dinner
To find out who would win
So that you can find out
How high to hold your chin

The buffet line had opened
The crowd stepped up
To stock up on food
And to fill up their cup

As dinner was over
The awards began
Some walked to claim their trophy’s
While some just ran

Names were called
Some many times
CaJohn’s name
Comes to mind

I still hear the chant
In the distance way back
Fat-kid’s sauces
And a victory lap

No it didn’t win
But the memory still lives
Huv dancing around the table
People thinking, hey what gives?

Many things happened
As they all hung out
A chilehead party
Is what it was about

Things were getting wild
As the night drew on
Some were mentioned
Others just pretend they’re gone

A kiss had occurred
I won’t mention it though
Let’s just say Danny Cash
Was part of that show

Down the street they marched
In search of the bull
A bunch of partiers
Like kindergarteners going to school

Alas they found
The mechanical beast
Some were ready to try
Or so they thought, at least

Many riders stepped up
Some fell right away
There are many pictures
To remember this day

In everyones mind
They were the one to win
But it was Lisa from THT
With the biggest grin

For all that rode
She seemed the one to last
And stayed on the bull
All other times, well past

The night was soon over
Some more drinking was done
Same old story here
A repeat of night one

If you are here just to party
And haven’t a booth
Its isn’t easy
And that’s the truth

For when it is business
Early you must awake
The crowd doesn’t stop
And you don’t get a break

Saturday morning
Soon time for the show
It was the public’s time
So the crowd numbers would grow

The show was nice
Not much else to say
Many people liking hot
In their own special way

Later in the day
The bloggers gathered around
It was time for a picture
From this Texas town

Nothing else special
Happened that day
Until later that night
The poker gave way

Now the game was played
Late into the night
I witnessed something
That gave me a fright

For a mere $70
Nick had agreed
To eat a dead roach
And let all see

So in his mouth
On the tip of a knife
An ugly looking bug
Who had given his life

It wasn’t real quick
And Nick took his time
He savored that bug
Like a coinsure of fine wine

There is more to this story
As the game would grow
Maybe some could fill in the blanks
For those that don’t know

On Sunday morn
Early at the show
There was some aftermath
From the prior night, you know

The Ex showed up
And to our surprise
Had just stopped drinking
You could tell by her eyes

We all felt her pain
As she sat their all day
Trying to wear a smile
And make it all go away

Sorry the Ex
I dont mean to bust
It’s a good memory we have
For that you can trust

Sure there were things
To pick on this and that
But all in all
We had each others back

The show was mainly over
What a wild couple of days
For it really was non-stop
I don’t care what some says

I found a new respect
For what the manufacturer’s do
From touting their product
To handling the zoo

Of people, of events
And everything in-between
Would cause a normal man to go crazy
Really, you know what I mean

So a fun time was had
By most that were there
And those that were not
Hope you didn’t get a scare

You really need to go
Cause this doesn’t describe
The time of your life
You will have on this ride.