News

Zoos, pols, music festivals, make Super Bowl bets

A cougar at the North Carolina Zoo is pounding on a Denver Bronco paper mache enrichment item. [PHOTO BY VALERIE ABBOTT]

By Bill Moss, Published: February 5, 2016

Zookeepers wearing the winning team's jerseys, N.C. barbecue vs. a Colorado steak and Colorado-made Osprey backpacks vs. North Carolina turkeyburgers have been are on the line as the Carolina Panthers meet the Denver Broncos Sunday in Super Bowl 50.

Directors of the North Carolina Zoo and Denver Zoo made a friendly wager putting biscuits and something called a green chili breakfast on the line. If the Carolina Panthers win Super Bowl 50 Shannon Block, CEO of the Denver Zoo, has agreed to wear a Panther's jersey at her Zoo while greeting Zoo visitors. Block will also have to eat biscuits and drink sweet tea, like a true southerner. If the Denver Broncos win the Super Bowl then Pat Simmons, Director of the N.C. Zoo, will wear a Bronco's jersey while greeting guests at her Zoo's entrance. Simmons will also have to try to eat a green chili breakfast.

The Brevard Music Center and Aspen Music Festival — two prestigious music institutions and summer festivals — are putting their batons down and fists up to fight for their Panthers and their Broncos.
 
BMC president Mark Weinstein and Aspen Music Festival CEO Alan Fletcher made a tasty wager on the winning team.
 
Should the Carolina Panthers win the Super Bowl, the Aspen Music Festival and School agreed to take a group photo of its Board of Trustees with Fletcher in a Panthers jersey and send the Brevard Music Center a Colorado salsa verde pork chili dinner for 10...with all the fixings.
 
“I can taste that salsa verde now,” Weinstein said. “Obviously, the Panthers will dominate the Broncos so the table is set, the beer is in the fridge, and we are waiting for the chili to arrive.”
 
If the Broncos win the Super Bowl, Weinstein agrees to don a Broncos jersey, have his photo taken with the BMC Board and ship 10 heaping-helpings of North Carolina pulled pork barbecue to Aspen.
 

Rep. Mark Meadows put North Carolina barbecue up against Rep. Ken Buck's steak that the Panthers would win.

If the Panthers win, Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper will donate 50 Osprey backpacks filled with school supplies to a North Carolina shelter and 50 cases of Pueblo Salsa, 500 boxes of crackers from 34 Degrees Crackers and 500 packages of sausages from Continental Sausage (to be donated to a food bank in North Carolina) and a dog food donation to an animal shelter.

If the Broncos win, Governor McCrory will ship to the Rockies 50 cases of North Carolina turkey burgers, 50 cases of North Carolina turkey sausages for a Colorado food bank and a donation of dog food to an animal shelter.

“I predict the Panthers will win 33-10,” predicted McCrory. “The Broncos may have one of the best defenses in the league, but they haven’t faced Cam Newton and his offense yet. I fully expect the Carolina Panthers to be Super Bowl 50 champions. I am good friends with Governor Hickenlooper, but his team will be on the losing end this time.”