Chili cookoff raises money for missions

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Geoff Risinger who competed against his wife Laura's white chili won the People's Choice Award. See photograph of overall winner on Page 3A. (Photo by Mindy Ragan Wood)

It was a night of chili goodness for the 17th annual Piedmont United Methodist Church’s chili cookoff last Wednesday night.

Every year the church hosts the feast to raise money for missions.

“We raise between $2,000 to $2,500 every year,” coordinator Pat Hornblower said. “We have had as many as 34 entries, but this year we had 22. People enter the contest and not just from the church members but in the community too. It’s a lot of fun.”

Church member Brad Waller ran bowls of chili to the judges, members of the Piedmont Fire Department. Different judges are brought in every year, sometimes from the Police Department, or school officials.

“We had a good turnout,” Waller said. “It’s a good time.”

Geoff Risinger competed against his wife Laura’s white chili among the other contestants and won the People’s Choice Award. The winner overall was Cliff Tardif.