Bring the Heat

Those who just can’t get enough chips and dip won’t want to miss the 417 Salsa Fest in Springfield. A celebration of all things salsa, the event features a salsa taste-off, a hot-pepper-eating contest, live music, Latin dancing, and more.

By Caroline Dohack Some like it hot. Some, less so. But almost everybody likes salsa. With this in mind, Next-Level Networking will hold its first 417 Salsa Fest from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 5, at Relics Event Center in Springfield, Missouri. Admission is $5. About 40 vendors, including a number of Greene County’s favorite Mexican restaurants, will set up booths and hand out chips and samples of their best salsa. Festival goers will vote for their favorites, and the winners will receive trophies at the end of the afternoon. Next-Level Networking owner Elizabeth Cuming-Gaddis says she initially invited only dining establishments to participate in the salsa competition, but as word spread throughout the community she started hearing from individuals who also wanted in on the fun. “This area loves its salsa, I’ve learned that for sure,” Cuming-Gaddis says. The salsa competition isn’t the only opportunity to test one’s mettle. For an additional $5 entry fee, daredevils in the crowd can torch their taste buds in a hot-pepper-eating contest. The last person standing takes home a trophy as well as a $100 grand prize.   Cuming-Gaddis has been hard at work determining which types of peppers to include in the contest, but don’t worry: There will be plenty of more palatable fare available for those who favor lower levels of heat. In addition to handing out salsa samples, the chefs, restaurants, bakeries, and food trucks onsite will have authentic Mexican foods for sale. And there will be plenty to do and see as well. “I’ve got a little bit of everything,” Cuming-Gaddis says. This family-friendly event will feature a 360 photo booth, face painting, and balloon animals. Dancers from the Sonshine Royal Ballroom will perform traditional Latin dances. Additionally, KQMO 97.7 FM, a Latin blend radio station, will do a live remote broadcast from the event, and a DJ will spin tracks. “This is the beginning of something really big,” Cuming-Gaddis says. “We expect to make it a yearly event, and it will grow and grow and grow.”  The feature image is from iStock. For hundreds more events, visit Missouri Life’s Event Calendar.