The Heat is On! Chili Cook-Off

The Heat is On! February 29, 2020

Prizes:
   Grand Champion Chili $75 cash & a Magnificent Chili Pepper Trophy
             Honorable Mention                          $50 cash
             People’s Choice Award                   $35 cash
             Best Theme                                     $35 cash
             Best Veggie (No Meat)                    $35 cash
             No Sweat “Mild Best”                       $35 cash

ECP Chili Cook-off Rules & Regulations 2020

Competition is open to everyone, but limited to the first 24 entries received.
All varieties of chili are eligible: meat, bean, chicken, turkey, vegetarian, etc. (no venison or wild game)
All edible chili peppers legal in the U.S.A are eligible.
Chili cooks may be asked to eat a spoonful of their own chili before submitting it for judging.
Chili must be displayed at Creekside Place, 102 Maple Street, Evansville by 5:30 PM on Saturday February 29,2020. Judging will take place at 5:30 PM. Contestants must stay with their chili during the judging time period.
Entry Fee: $35—includes a four-foot table space, two admission tickets (for you and one helper,) and a certificate for $10.00 for your chili ingredients from Piggly Wiggly.

All Chili Contestants must supply:

A minimum of two and a half gallons of chili
A large crock pot is recommended to keep chili at serving temperature during the event. A Nesco may be used instead.
Remember to bring your chili already warm & ready to serve!
List of all ingredients -clearly printed for public and judges view (in case of allergies)

One extension cord for your crock pot

Serving Ladle (a small one works best since the cups hold about 2 Tbs. of chili)

Hot pads to protect you and the tables

Judging Criteria:

Chili should look good, smell good, and taste good! Judges score each chili on a scale of 1 to 10 in these categories: Aroma* Consistency* Color* Taste* Aftertaste * Overall Uniqueness
Grand Champion & Honorable Mention will be determined by the highest combined scores in taste, aroma, consistency, color, and aftertaste.
Chili is categorized into mild or spicy so that the Best Mild Chili can be judged based on taste and mildness.
Best Theme will be awarded to the highest overall score received on a point system from 1 to 10 given in each of these categories: Creativity in name, Booth décor, Presentation, Costumes.
The People’s Choice award will go to the chili that earns the most money votes from the crowd.*

*Sponsors and judges decisions are final. Failure to comply with officials in any matter may be cause for disqualification.

Legends Will Be Made at ECP's 20th Annual Chili Cook-Off

While there are many myths, legends and hard-headed opinions about the origins and traditions of Chili, there’s one thing for certain: The Heat Is On!, Evansville’s Annual Chili Cook-off is legendary for a whole lot of fun and healthy competition in the area. Now you have a chance to celebrate the 20th running of this fun competition that benefits the 4th of July fireworks.

You’ll need to bring your appetite and maybe a bit of courage to Creekside Place on February 29. It doesn’t matter if you like to burn out your taste buds on creations like “Nuclear Meltdown" or "After Burner Chili," or take a more cautious approach with a nice, quiet white chili alternative. The variety of chilis is impressive and the quality is high.

Tickets are just $15 for adults and the doors open at 6:30. Kids 10 and under enter free with adult. Patrons will enjoy sampling chili from the chili chef contestants, mixing and mingling with friends old and new, bidding at the fabulous silent auction with in-kind donations from local businesses, and a 50/50 raffle.

The Evansville Community Partnership uses the proceeds for the Fireworks over the 4th of July celebration and your support is vital to make that festival happen.
Judging for the contestants includes Best Theme for the entry that gets into the spirit of the event as well as five categories for taste, including Best Mild and Best Veggie Chili. Many of your favorite cooks will be back and there will be new cooks to tickle your taste buds, too.

Let’s take a look at a few of the Legends of Chili…

1618 - According to an old Southwestern legend the first recipe for chili con carne was put on paper in the 17th century by Sister Mary of Agreda of Spain. She was mysteriously known in the Southwest United States as "La Dama de Azul," the lady in blue. While she never left Spain herself, Sister Mary would go into trances with her body lifeless for days. When she awoke from these trances, she said her spirit had been to a faraway land where she preached Christianity to the Native Americans and counseled them to seek out Spanish missionaries. Spanish missionaries and King Philip IV of Spain believed that she was the ghostly "La Dama de Azul" or "lady in blue" spoken of by Native Americans who visited the missions. It is said that sister Mary wrote down the recipe for chili which called for venison or antelope meat, onions, tomatoes, and chile peppers. No physical evidence has been found to back-up this claim.

1731 - A group of sixteen families arrived from the Spanish Canary Islands to what is now known as the city of San Antonio, Texas. They had immigrated to Texas by order of King Philip V. of Spain. The King of Spain felt that colonization would help cement Spanish claims to the region and block France's westward expansion from Louisiana. These families founded San Antonio’s first civil government which became the first municipality in the Spanish province of Texas. According to historians, the women made a spicy “Spanish” stew that eventually became known as Chili in English after the native Chiles (peppers) that were used in the recipe. Eventually, some Spanish priests were said to be wary of the passion inspired by chile peppers, assuming they were aphrodisiacs. A few preached sermons against indulgence in a food which they said was almost as "hot as hell's brimstone" and "Soup of the Devil." The priest's warning probably contributed to the dish's popularity.

1850 - The first chili mix was said to be concocted around 1850 by Texan adventurers and cowboys as a staple for hard times when traveling to and in the California gold fields and around Texas. Needing hot grub, the trail cooks came up with a sort of stew. They pounded dried beef, fat, pepper, salt, and the chile peppers together. This amounted to "brick chili" or "chili bricks" that could be boiled in pots along the trail. Some trail cooks planted pepper seeds, oregano, and onions in mesquite patches (to protect them from foraging cattle) to use on future trail drives.

1880s-1939-San Antonio women nicknamed "Chili Queens" sold stew they called "chili" made with dried red chiles and beef from open-air stalls at the Military Plaza Mercado. They made their chili at home, loaded it onto colorful chili wagons, and transported the wagons and chili to the plaza. They build mesquite fires on the square to keep the chili warm, lighted their wagons with colored lanterns, and squatted on the ground beside the cart, dishing out chili to customers who sat on wooden stools to eat their fiery stew. In 1937 they were put out of business city health ordinances. There was such a public outcry that in 1939, Mayor Maury Maverick reinstated the chili al fresco stands. They were closed again shortly after the start of World War II.

1967 – A well known chili cook-off took place in Terlingua, Texas between a Dallas newspaper reporter and a self-proclaimed world’s best Chili cookbook author from New York. Texans were particularly upset that “the Yankee” had the nerve to use beans in his chili recipe. According to Gary Cartwright, writer for Sports Illustrated, one judge went into convulsions after taking a spoonful of chili, fell to the floor and whispered in agony that he was unable to go on. The cook-off was proclaimed a tie.
2001 – Evansville Wisconsin hosted their first annual chili cook-off, presented by the Evansville Community Partnership, Inc. and sponsored by area businesses. Their idea was to create a fun family event for the community to celebrate the end of a long winter. Local potter Matthias James created a hand-thrown, no two exactly alike, pottery chili bowl for the winner to take home. The tradition continues and grows each year as the event has become a fundraiser for the Fourth of July fireworks at Lake Leota.

2020 - Evansville Community Partnership’s 20th annual Chili Cook-off will be held on Saturday, February 23 from 6:30 until 9 p.m. at Creekside Place, 102 Maple Street in Evansville. Watch for the debut of the new Chili Pepper Trophy for the Grand Champion chili chef

See the entry ad in the Review or online at http://www.ecp-wi.org/the-heat-is-on-chili-cook-off.html so you can show off your best chili. If you’d like to help out at the event, see the Sign Up button on the Facebook page for The Heat Is On! Chili Cook-Off.

Watch for tickets at Creekside Place. More information is online at ecp-wi.org or contact Jim Brooks, ECP Executive Director, via phone at 608/882-0598 or via e-mail at ecpi@litewire.net.

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"Wish I had time for just one more bowl of chili." - Alleged dying words of Kit Carson