The Evolution of Trail Mix
February 16, 2022
If the old adage is to be believed, the more things change, the more they stay the same. GVLT’s Trail Mix is a perfect example. The Spring 1992 newsletter announced the First Annual Chili Feed at Lindley Center with the following enthusiastic review: The 90 some supporters were ‘treated to corn bread, salad, cookies, and of course, chili – not terribly fancy fare, but all prepared in the kitchens of GVLT board members and tasty as all get-out’. It’s been a long time since culinary skills were a requirement for GVLT board membership, but the desire to celebrate GVLT’s accomplishments among trail-loving friends has not diminished. The first official Trail Mix was a fundraiser and took place at the home of Lisa & Russ Tuckerman in 1996. Somewhere in the early teens, Trail Mix and the Chili Feed morphed into one event, greater than the sum of its parts – a fundraiser, an outreach event, a networking opportunity, and a community celebration of all things trails.
Last year, with heavy hearts, we moved Trail Mix on-line. We called it Trail Re:Mix. Despite the distance, GVLT received a record number of donations from and an immeasurable amount of love and gratitude from a community who love their trails. With the health and safety of our donors and supporters in mind, we’re going on-line one more time this year with Trail Re:Mix Part Deux but, with any luck, we’ll be back in person in 2023, chili bowl in one hand, cold beer in the other. We don’t have any idea what Trail Mix 2023 will look like, but we can’t wait to see you there!