by John Dowd
Over 200 people showed up to the Stevensville Police Department’s third annual Chili Cook-Off, which Stevensville Police Chief John Boe considered a huge success. Boe said he believes everyone had a great time, from what he saw. For his first community event and fundraiser, he thinks he did well, barring only a few hiccups.
“I’m appreciative of all those who showed up,” said Boe. He wanted to give a huge thank you to all the businesses and public that helped make the event happen, through donations or by volunteering. “Their generosity was fantastic!”
Boe spoke about plans for next year, saying there are definitely some improvements and changes they will make in order to smooth the event. Overall, however, he believes it went well. One of the big changes will be to have the judges arrive early, and begin judging before any of the regular guests arrive. This way, they hope to finish the judging by the time the public arrives so that nobody will need to wait to start serving up and sampling the entries.
Stevensville Police Chief John Boe congratulates the first place winners, Joy Reed and Norma Pogachar. Photo by John Dowd.
Another change he said they will make regards the noise level. He said he’s hoping to bring down the volume of music and activities. He witnessed a few members of the public who were concerned about the noise level. Boe also wants to work harder to bring in more families and children, saying he would love to have enough children come out that they could do something like rent a bounce house or the like. “It’ll get bigger and better,” said Boe.
As far as entries went, “I felt like it was just the right amount of chili contestants,” said Boe. This year there were 13 entries for the chili cook-off. The judges were Dennis Toussaint, Kristy Leighty, Amie Hall and Kurt Bjorgen. All said they had never judged chili before and were impressed at the variety, though some said the recipes could have used more beans.
Stevensville Police Chief John Boe congratulates the third place winner, Jay Wills. According to Boe, Wills caught Boe on the road to ask to enter, and said his “chili was gonna be a winner,” according to Boe. Indeed it was. Photo by John Dowd.
As for the winners, in third place was Ed Wills with his “Elk Surprise” chili. Second place was “Dad’s Recipe,” by Jay Bailey. First place was “Combat Chili,” made by Joy Reed and Norma Pogachar.
In the end, the event raised around $9,500 for the Stevensville Reserve Officer Association, which directly benefits the Stevensville Police Department.
Rachel says
When will the next one be? How do i enter?