Brutal wind in the early morning hours didn’t keep the crowds away from the 8th Annual Magnolia State Bank Chili Cook Off. In fact, this year’s chili cook off set a new record! We had a record number of teams to enter this year, which brought record-breaking crowds downtown! The clouds and wind that plagued our teams during setup gave way to a beautiful blue-skied day and gave folks the perfect reason to get out of the house and get downtown!
Welcome to the Winner’s Circle!
This year’s teams brought their A-game to the 8th Annual Magnolia State Bank Chili Cook Off! Here’s a recap of the winners:
People’s Choice
Exchange Club
Pictured: Team Free Chili Team Captain: Andrew Cardwell. Jim Rasberry. Dustin Cooke. Peter Biglane. Nick Roll.
$200 cash prize and Carl Buchanan pottery
Spirit/Tent Decoration
Ellis & Walters Dental Clinic a.k.a. the “Molar Mafia”
Pictured: Terry Powell, Heather Brown, Lew Yoder, Mayor Johnny Magee, Dorthy Stancill, Vanessa Jefcoat, Vickie Hatfield, and Dana Blackledge.
$200 cash prize and Carl Buchanan pottery
Homestyle Category:
3rd – Mo’ Smoke
2nd – Chili Wild
Pictured: Team Captain: Richard Williams. Tammy Williams. Kyle Kramer. Keri Kramer.
Winner – Fat Kid Rock
Pictured: Heather Brown, Magnolia State Bank. Mayor Johnny Magee. Lee Yoder, LMS President. Kim and Blaine Holifield. Jeff and Tiva Barrett.
$1,000 cash prize and chili pot trophy
Traditional Category:
3rd – Chili Ray Cyrus
2nd – Three Amigos
Pictured: Team Captain, Pete Blakeney. Dewayne Rayner. Jason Roberts.
Winner – Ring of Fire
Pictured: Russ Griffin. Adam Sauls. Hoss Nasajpour. Paul Read. Carl Buchanan.
$1,000 cash prize and chili pepper trophy
It took a village of people to make this event a success and we couldn’t have done it without them!
Special thanks to our event chair, Robby Scruggs, for his work in making this event such a success each year. Robby, and his wife, Angie, open studio5fifty for Laurel Main Street many times each year. Their staff is always courteous and helpful and we simply can’t thank them enough!
We also owe a huge thanks to the following:
Laurel Main Street board members – for the countless hours you put into making each endeavor we undertake a successful one.
Chili Cook Off Judges – for selflessly giving of your time and taste buds in the name of chili.
Laurel Fire Department & Laurel Police Department – for keeping our volunteers and attendees safe, for being on call, and for going above and beyond your duties.
The City of Laurel Parks and Recreation Department – for your assistance in preparing the downtown area for the influx of visitors.
Carl and Mandy Buchanan – for the beautiful pottery that we awarded and for the “bottomless” bowls that we look forward to adding to our collection each year.
Jim Thornhill – DJ extraordinaire – thank you for keeping the tunes going and making the atmosphere so fun!
Diamond Productions – you guys are top notch! The video screen and live footage during the chili cook off elevated this event beyond our expectations and we can’t wait to work with you again at Crawfest in April!
Community Volunteers – for the hours of service you provide selling tickets and t-shirts and all you do to make Laurel Main Street events run smoothly.
Of course, this event wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of Magnolia State Bank. Not only do they sponsor this event each year, but the bank staff also volunteers countless hours in preparation for the event and on the day of the event as well. This year, Central Creativity opened their facility to host indoor kids’ educational and creative activities too. We are so grateful for your partnership!
Our main street volunteers don’t get to rest on their laurels now; they’re rolling on to our next big event, Touch A Truck! Save the date for this wonderful family event — March 30, 2019.
