Spartan Times hosts wild game dinner

RANGELY I Elk and deer? Standard fare. Antelope? A little unusual, maybe. Mountain lion? Now we’re talking. Oryx? What’s oryx?
For those of you brave enough to find out, the CNCC Spartan Times student newspaper will host its Second Annual Wild Game Dinner Saturday, Feb. 5 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in the CNCC Weiss Colorado Room. The dinner, a donations-only event, will help students attend the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) National Convention in Hollywood, Calif., this March. A silent auction, as well as entertainment by Joe Sears and other performers, will also be provided.
Sophomore Ayzha Haili, in her second year with the newspaper, helped prepare last year’s fare and is looking forward to another go at the event.
“Not only did we work hard to earn the funds to go on the trip; it was also good socializing with and getting great support from community businesses and individuals,” Haili said. “People got to try food they’ve never tried before. They were also able to get some really cool items (in the silent auction) at a lower price than cost.”
Whether this kind of food is familiar to you or you’ll be experiencing these flavors for the first time, expect recipes to be simple and filling, while staying true to the flavor of the game. The students plan to offer comfort food favorites, like chili and stews, along with traditionally roasted and grilled meats that give diners a true taste of the wild.
The Spartan Times group feels prepared to host the event this year, having been through it once before.
“We learned some things last year that we can use to make this dinner even better,” newspaper adviser Heather Zadra said. “It will be fun to try new dishes and bring back favorites, especially with the variety of game being donated this year.”
She is also hopeful that the event will see a good turnout.
“The community response in helping us meet our goals has always amazed me,” Zadra said. “Already we have many, many people and businesses to thank for contributing in some way or another. If people support us like they have in the past, this should be a really good event.”
If the rest of the needed funds is raised, this will be the fifth year that students will have earned their way to the ACP Convention, which features sessions and lectures by nationally-known journalists, design experts and photographers.