In need of a napkin

Cary Dyer was a busy man Saturday morning.

As the executive director of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, he is in charge of the annual Oodles of Noodles Festival. He spent his morning setting up booths, organizing volunteers and making sure everything was set for the festival's start at 9 a.m.

Once the festival got rolling, Dyer took a minute to carry on a tradition he has maintained at the festival for several years. He got his face painted.

"I get a great response from the community when I do this," Dyer said as tiger stripes were added to his face.

The Oodles of Noodles Festival is a fundraiser for the chamber, pitting competitors against each other in a battle for the title of best noodles.

This year, nine chefs cooked up mac and cheese, Italian gravy and several kinds of red sauces. Some were served with cheese, some a hearty dose of oregano.

"We do it as a celebration of Dayton's Italian and Chinese heritage," Dyer said. "It's just a good time for us, and we enjoy putting it on."

Aside from the noodles, the event also featured 88 booths selling or promoting marinades, jewelry and various local restaurants. A silent auction was also held in the community center.

For Denise Davis of Dayton, the noodle competition was a new challenge. She usually competes in chili cook-offs, and said Saturday's competition was definitely different.

"Chili cook-offs are a lot more complicated. There are more regulations and restrictions than here," Davis said.

Her concoction was a red sauce, flavored with peppers, mushrooms and her secret blend of spices.

Next door was the Dayton branch of the Coldwell Best Sellers and their All-American Macaroni and Cheese. The team said this was their third year entering, but would be only the first time they won.

"It's an All-American staple pasta. Everyone loves macaroni and cheese," said cook Jody Foley.

Jessica Driggs, 11, of Dayton was among those sampling the pasta creations. One, she noted, tasted like soap.

Char Richarz of Dayton entered her Talareni - a concoction of hamburger, cheese peppers, onions and chilis - and set up a booth to showcase the handmade jewelry and ornaments from her company Orionzeye Unique Creations.

"I was a little nervous entering, but I wanted to show off my artwork so here I am," Richarz said.

Kevin Hogan, general manager of the Daytona Casino, said his entries were sure to win because of the ingredients and the excellent meat used.

"It's all-natural ingredients, and it's prepared by Italians," Hogan said.

The booth was also selling sausage sandwiches smothered in the sauces using meat from the Sausage Factory in Carson City.

"Really we are here because we want to support the chamber and the community. We are donating all the proceeds to Lyon County Parks and Recreation's Latchkey Program," Hogan said.

In the end, Richarz was named as the winner on her first try and F.T. Norton's sauce was named as the people's choice winner. The top prize for the best cooks was round-trip tickets from Reno to Las Vegas aboard Southwest Airlines.

• Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.