Historic Farmland sets ninth chili cook-off
By CYNTHIA AUKERMAN
News-Gazette reporter
Chili, apples, liars and a race will all be celebrated in Historic Farmland on Saturday, October 4. That's the date for Historic Farmland USA's ninth annual Red Gold Chili Cook-Off and Apple Bake-Off. Entries for the contest are due by Friday, September 19.
In addition to the culinary contests, the event will include live entertainment, a 5K run and a joke telling competition. The event will also include a celebration of the grand opening of a brand-new downtown business, Concannons.
Prizes for the chili cook-off include some serious cash: first place, $100, second, $50; and third, $25. The people's choice award for the best chili will include bragging rights and a bowl.
Prizes for the apple bake-off are: first, $25; second, $15; and third, $10.
The entry fee is $15 for the chili cook-off and $5 for the apple bake-off. To enter, call 765-468-7631 or drop by the Farmland Cultural Center to pick up an entry form.
All winners will receive a hand-crafted pie plate or soup bowl from John Peterson Pottery.
For the chili cook-off, contestants must provide a table for work space, utensils and ingredients other than tomatoes and beans, which will be supplied by Red Gold. There will be no electricity, so the chili cooks must provide their own cooking mechanism, and veterans of the contest say a camp stove or a gas grill works the best.
Ample space will be provided right out in the streets of historic Farmland, and veterans observers say half the fun of the event is seeing what kinds of outdoor cooking stations the participants come up with. Often contestants are dressed in costumes, but that is not a requirement.
Chili cooks must attend a mandatory cook's meeting at 8 a.m. that Saturday, and that's when the Red Gold ingredients will be distributed. Each entrant must make a minimum of four gallons of chili. Cooking must be complete by 11:30 a.m. when the tasting begins.
For the apple bake-off, contestants provide all ingredients except the apples, which will be provided in advance by Memory Lane Farms. All entrants must make dishes with a minimum of 12 servings.
The apple entries must be dropped off between 10 and 11 a.m. at the Farmland Cultural Center. Judging is at 11:30 a.m., and awards will be announced at 12:30 p.m.
All entries - both chili and apple - become the property of Historic Farmland, which will sell them to the public throughout the day
The liars and story tellers will be featured at the Fibs & Ribs Liar's Club & Joke Telling Competition.
For more information, contact 765-468-7631 or visit www.farmlandindiana.org.
