Slideshow: Screenshots from the last Chili Pepper Fundraiser video | Courtesy Dan Sedgwick
Two years ago for Christmas the Del Norte High School music department attempted an unconventional fundraiser. Students from band and choir teamed up to play and sing “Oh Come All Ye Faithful”… with a twist. Part way through the concert, participants were challenged to eat a chili pepper before continuing their musical fare. The event was a hit with students and donors alike, ultimately raising around $10,000.
This year, the school’s music department hopes to match that figure as they revive the chili challenge for a spicy take on “America The Beautiful” as part of a Memorial Day fundraising blitz.
The event will be similar to a jog-a-thon where students collect pledges for the pepper they plan to eat on a Scoville scale ranging between zero and 1,041,000 Units. The spiciness of the pepper is determined by the size of the donation. Students were allowed to choose which pepper they were willing to consume, but not every performer opted for extremes.
“Bell peppers are our control group,” DNHS music director Dan Sedgwick told Redwood Voice.
Donors are encouraged to pledge any amount, but suggested ranges start at $25 for bell peppers, and go up to $300 for ghost peppers.
If this year’s fundraiser meets its goal of $10,000, Sedgwick and Choir Director Colin Kirkwood have pledged to ALSO eat a Ghost Pepper and do “something else incriminating”.
All donors will receive a link to a video of the capsaicin-compromised performance, which will be edited for maximum hilarity. Although the video will be filmed at Del Norte High School on Thursday, donors can still get a piece of the action and be credited in the film if they submit their pledges within the next week or two.
In addition to this year’s chili challenge, DNHS Band will be running two other Memorial Day weekend fundraisers. Students will hold a car wash from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Reel Properties on U.S. 101. That evening, the high school jazz band and steel band will be joining forces with Tsunami Swing for a USO-themed dance and silent auction at the Crescent City VFW hall. Proceeds from these two fundraisers will be evenly split between DNHS Band and the VFW.
