Welcome to the Smoke on the Water
This year marks the 10th anniversary for the Smoke on the Water Chili Cook-off and the 5th anniversary for the Run For Your Life. Smoke on the Water began 10 years ago when a group of individuals wanted to plan an event to celebrate chili and raise money for local charities.
The Run for Your Life began 5 years ago as a tribute to Jody Jividen, a former committee member who passed away from colon cancer. Each year the race raises money for colon cancer screenings and helps to raise awareness of the importance of colon cancer screenings.
For the past 5 years, our charity of choice has been Hospice and in that time Smoke on the Water has raised more than $40,000.
Thousands of people converge on the Smoke on the Water Chili Cook-Off to sample red chili, green chili and salsa from amateur chefs who compete in this regional cook-off, sanctioned by the International Chili Society (ICS). First place in each category in the cook-off receives an automatic berth to the World Championships held each year in October. This year's event will return to its original location on Kanawha Boulevard in front of Haddad Riverfront Park on Saturday, June 21, 2008.
In 2007, the cook-off was held at Appalachian Power Park and thanks to the partnership with the WV Power, was an overwhelming success. In order to return to the original date of the third weekend in June for many years to come, it was determined that a return to the Boulevard was necessary.
For 2008, the cook-off will be a part of FestivAll, an annual week-long arts event featuring jazz and bluegrass with dance, theatre and street fairs. By partnering with FestivAll we are able to add Smoke on the Water to a list of events that already highlight the City of Charleston and the riverfront. The cook-off features live music, chili and salsa sampling, local food vendors, kids area and the always popular Hot Pepper Eating Contest. Smoke on the Water is a widely popular cookoff because of its emphasis on the cooks, providing prizes in excess of $5,000 and amenities that have cooks traveling from as far away as 9 states including WV, KY, OH, VA, IN, GA, NC, MI and MO, which makes us a truly multi state regional cook-off.
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