Support The Center Chili Chowder Challenge
| Chili Chowder Challenge |
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The Chili Chowder Challenge is the Children's Center's major annual fundraiser. Held each March, it is a family-friendly event open to the entire community. This year's event will be held on Saturday, March 24th, 2012, from 11:00 am - 1:30 pm. Tickets for the event are only $10 for individuals, $25 for families (children aged 11 & under are free!). Local restaurants come together in a friendly competition, pitting their best chili &/ or chowder recipes against each other. Attendees sample the restaurants' offerings, and cast their ballots for "best chili," "best chowder," "most original chowder," "most original chili," "most creative display," and "most original name (of the chili or chowder entries)." With loads of kid-friendly activities, live musical entertainment (Terrie Kee and Friends), hotdogs and icecream, lots of silent auction items, and a very dynamic live auction (with Maine Humorist Gary Crocker as Auctioneer!), the Chili Chowder Challenge makes for a very fun event for everyone in the family! Visit our Chili Chowder Challenge website for more information!
AUGUSTA, Maine – It was a cold, bright day outside, and the Augusta Armory was the hot spot to be on Saturday, March 26th at the Children’s Center’s 10th Annual Chili Chowder Challenge. A crowd estimated at over 1,200 filled the armory with buzz and bustle. With the light musical entertainment of Terrie Kee and Jeff Noel setting the background, people moved from display to display, sampling the chili and chowder offerings of 16 local restaurants, and casting votes for their favorites. Winning Best Chili Award was CJ’s Pizza for their “Meat Lover’s Chili” and winning Best Chowder (for the 8th year in a row!) was The Red Barn for “Laura’s Famous Seafood Stew.” The list of winners was rounded out by The Liberal Cup’s “Mauna Loa Volcano Chili,” voted “Hottest Chili,” and winning three awards was the Maple Hill Farm Inn and Conference Center, snagging “Most Creative Display,” “Most Creative Name,” and “Most Original Chowder” with their “Creamy Caribbean Coconut Conch Chowder.” As always, the family-friendly event had lots to offer everyone. The craft tables were surrounded by children of all ages throughout the event – decorating donuts, getting faces painted, creating crowns and paper masterpieces, and more. The Lithgow Library’s Story Corner was also a popular spot. The silent auction tables were far from silent - they were humming with bidding action throughout the day. And the lively live auction was spiced with auctioneer Gary Crocker’s wit and Maine wisdom-isms. Thanks to the phenomenal dedication of ALL of the volunteers who work tirelessly to put together this event, and to the generosity of the sponsors, the participating restaurants, and of the entire community who turn out to support the Children’s Center, the 10th annual Chili Chowder Challenge was the most successful ever, raising over $34,000 to benefit the children of Central Maine. The restaurants competing for the best chili and chowder awards were: Al's Pizza, Applebee’s, Augusta House of Pancakes, CJ's Pizza, Damon's, Ground Round Sports Grille, Lisa's Restaurant and Lounge, Maple Hill Farm Inn and Conference Center, The Red Barn, Red Robin, Rooster’s, Texas Roadhouse, The Liberal Cup, Tubby’s Ice Cream, Wings Hill Inn and Woofy’s Seafood. Special thanks go out to Chili Chowder Chairperson Judy Griffin and everyone on the Committee for all of their hard work! Photos from recent Chili Chowder Challenges:
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Image Highlights ~ Libby Mitchell, Mayor Katz, Happy Children, Tasty Chili and Chowder |
