Smoke on the Water, Charleston, WV
Smoke on the Water and HospiceCare would like to thank everyone for their support of the 2009 Smoke on the Water Chili Cookoff. We raised over $8,000 and are looking forward to next year. Please save the date for June 19, 2010 for the 12th Annual Smoke on the Water!
The riverfront in West Virginia’s capital city was the setting for the 11th annual Smoke on the Water. An early threat of rain blew away, literally borne off by a brisk breeze that lasted all day. While the wind didn’t do much to alleviate the warm temperatures, it did make things interesting at times with respect to keeping tents on the ground.
Things got rolling with the news that Charleston will be the site of the World’s Championship Chili Cookoff this fall. Everyone then settled down to the business of chili: 68 total cooks, with 55 in red, 29 in verde and 21 in salsa.
Dan Bauer of Alexandria, Va., took top honors in red, earning a prize of $7,500.
Other winners were:
Red – Jim Neves, Troy, Ohio, second place; Larry Lentz, Nicholasville, Ky., third place.
Verde – Jim Neves, Troy, Ohio, first place ($1,200 prize); Kevin Simmons, Milton, W.Va., second place.
Salsa – Gail Donovan, Cincinnati, Ohio, first place ($200 prize); Jerry Workman, Charleston, W.Va., second place.
People’s Choice and Best Booth – John Mullins, Charleston, W.Va.
The event brought in $8,000 for HospiceCare Inc. Another $1,500 was raised through the cookoff’s Run for Your Life 5-mile race for colorectal cancer awareness and screening through the Charleston Area Medical Center Foundation.
See you in October at the World’s Championship Chili Cookoff!
Marina Hendricks, chief judge
Designated a Regional Competition by the International Chili Society
