The Lennox American Legion is calling on all their supporters to join them for their annual Chili Cook-off this Saturday, February 22.
For the third year in a row, the Lennox Legion is holding a chili cook-off fundraiser on February 22 from 5 to 9 p.m. to help cover the costs for each Legion baseball team.
“For the past three years we have been purchasing new uniforms for the players and a lot of the money we raise from this goes straight to that. The tournaments are expensive, the umpires are really expensive, and insurance for the team and coaches, so these donations are used to help fund the whole program for the kids,” said Legion member and head Legion baseball coach, Curt Lottman.
With this being the only fundraiser the Legion does for the baseball team, everyone gathers to make it a night to remember.
“What started out as a wild game feed has grown so much over the years and it’s now changed into a wild game feed, chili cook-off, raffle, and more. We couldn’t do any of this without the help from the community,” he said.
Nearly a dozen chili entries are brought in each year for community members to taste.
“Our wonderful volunteers that make the chili come in with a crockpot full and we will line them up on tables with a number that they drew out of a hat for a position,” said Lottman.
“When tasters walk through the door, they pay $5 for a Styrofoam bowl and a poker chip, it’s as much chili as you can eat, and you can try them all,” Lottman continued.
When a taster finds the chili that they feel beats all the rest, they can place the poker chip in the corresponding cup.
After the taste test, guests can make their way to the raffle station.
“You can buy tickets for $1 $2 or $5 a piece and you put those tickets into a bucket that will be entered into winning one of the various prizes that we have. We will have four guns this year so far, usually there are fishing packages, golf packages, and a lot of other different prizes,” he said.
The Legion has one rule about winning to help keep the crowd motivated to stay through the night.
“You must be present to win, so there is a chance you could walk in and spend a dollar and walk out with a pretty cool prize,” Lottman continued.
For those with adventurous taste buds, the Legion will have a variety of foods to offer.
“We are still having a wild game feed, it is a taste test, and people can try various fishes, deer, caribou, and rocky mountain oysters, but the Legion will have pizza and their menu available for those that aren’t as adventurous,” he said.