Leeton Chill and Grill for 2019 looked to be over before it had even begun, due to incredibly windy weather across the MIA.
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Store holders representing a number of charities had prepared thousands of dollars of produce, ready to serve to the public.
Despite this, Leeton Shire Council made the tough call to cancel the event due to dangerous conditions.
But an unexpected late afternoon Facebook update jump-started local spirits. The post alerting the public that the Wade Hotel would be happy to host all of the Riverina store holders.
Wade Hotel manager Jade Hart said that accommodating the Chill and Grill was a no-brainer.
"It was a good community effort and having the store holders come around was great," Mr Hart explained.
"We enjoyed it, might even look at doing something like it again."
Last year the community event was held at the town ovals carpark for the very first time, with locals commending the atmosphere that venue created.
Hannah Fitzsimon, the events officer at Leeton Shire Council, was hoping to keep that location for two years in a row, but unfortunately the weather had different ideas.
"The motivating factor for cancelling the initial event was our concerns for the safety of the general public," Ms Fitzsimon explained.
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The stalls that featured at the makeshift event this year included Rotary International, Calo Riders Club Riverina and the Leeton Multicultural Support Group.
This meant a diverse range of cuisine for attendees to choose from, with pub drinks also available as an added benefit of the new venue.
"It was a really good effort from the community to come together, and it was amazing for the Wade Hotel to accommodate some of the stallholders," Ms Fitzsimon said.
The Chill and Grill event was first held in 2016, with celebrity chef and television presenter Paul West attending the first two festivals.
Despite the absence of celebrity stardom, those who made their way out to the 2019 spectacle still got to enjoy a whirlwind event for the history books.
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