ARNOLD – Arnold’s 34th annual Chili Cook-Off is scheduled Saturday, February 25 at the Arnold Community Center. The cook-off has historically been an all-day affair, though public serving will take place between 5 and 7 p.m.
The contest is typically team-oriented, with first, second and third place winners receiving prizes, as well as people’s choice, best-decorated booth, and Mr. and Mrs. Congeniality awards. The awards ceremony for this year’s cook-off will occur immediately after the public serving.
The rules for teams are as follows: no ingredients, meat included, may be precooked or treated prior to the preparation period (an exception being made for canned tomatoes, beverages, spices, and sauces), the cooking period will be a maximum of 5 hours, giving contestant teams the choice of whether or not to utilize the full time, at least one member of each team must be present for a meeting held by the event’s chairperson, and contestant teams must provide their own utensils, stoves and clean tarp for the floor; a table for each team will be provided.
The Chili Cook-Off committee insists that no duct tape be used for securing tarps and that cooking must be done indoors. Contestants will be permitted to begin setting up their equipment at 10 a.m. on Saturday, though no cooking will take place until 11. Each team must have a head chef, though a team may have any number of assistants, and teams must produce a minimum of 2 gallons of chili for judging.
This year, a corn hole tournament has been added to help pass the time while contestants’ chili is cooking; it will begin at 1 p.m. There is no entry fee for the tournament, and donated prizes will be awarded to winners. The bracket for the tournament will be drawn Saturday morning.
Additionally, Ashby’s own B.J. Jamison will perform, and for those averse to chili, potato and chicken noodle soup will be served, as well as pies for dessert, courtesy of St. Agnes Church. Registration forms can be found at First State Insurance, and for more information, interested contestants can call (308) 870-3387.
