The spice of life

POLSON — They came in varying thicknesses and consistencies, with different levels of heat and spiciness. Some piled on the meat while others were beany in nature. Further tailored with unique blends of cheese, sour cream and other extra toppings, the diversity of chili was on full display on Saturday’s chili cook-off at Riverside Park in Polson. Regardless of type, all of the chili seemed to hit the spot at the annual Rotary Festival for Youth, coordinated by the Rotary Club’s Polson chapter.

While the chili warms the stomach, the overarching purpose of the charitable cook-off warms the soul. All proceeds from this year’s event were donated to the Mission Valley Aquatic Center, set to open in Polson in November if funding remains on target during crunch time.

Keith Urbach, this year’s signature event committee chairman, was proud of the outpouring of community support produced by the fourth annual chili expo.

“Everything we do is youth oriented,” Urbach said of the organization’s charitable philosophy.

“We felt the need for the swimming pool,” he added, explaining the Rotary Club’s decision to help Mission Valley Aquatics in their fundraising efforts.

“It would be great for youth in Polson. Despite the ‘big pool’ right here in town, a lot of people can’t swim,” Urbach said, alluding to the waters of Flathead Lake.

Past cook-offs have benefitted community projects such as the playground at Riverside Park, installation of lights for the Mariners’ field at O’Maley Park, and the purchase of a van for the local Boys and Girls Club.

The Rotary Club had pledged a total of $100,000 to the Aquatic Center, of which $85,000 had already been donated prior to the cook-off. Saturday’s event aimed to raise the $15,000 remaining to meet the organization’s charitable commitment. However, Urbach reported that due to the success of the raffle that coincided with the event, the Rotary Club was able to go above and beyond their goal and contributed $20,000 from the event, bringing their total donations toward the cause to a whopping $105,000.

“The Rotary has been just incredible with what they’ve done,” said Hugh Beaver, President of the Mission Valley Aquatics Board, echoing gratitude on behalf of the facility’s entire staff.

“It’s going to be a record year,” Beaver said of the projected amount of money raised. “It means a great deal from an organization [such as Rotary] to show their support to this community.”

While Beaver expressed excitement about the Aquatic Center opening in two months time, for the time being, he was also excited about the opportunity for the Mission Valley Aquatics chili station to strut their stuff.

Even though the “New Mexico Green Chili” recipe served up by the Aquatic Center did not capture any of the hotly-contested awards for “Best Chili,” the team did manage to take home the award for “Best Decorations & Costumes” due largely to Beaver’s vintage one-piece swimsuit.

Kristen Wurster of Mission Mountain Enterprises, a local organization that provides services for the intellectually disabled, said that they’ve been a staple at the Rotary Club’s chili cook-offs for the last four years.

“It’s a very fun community event. We like the opportunity to represent Mission Mountain Enterprises and bring it out into the community,” Wurster said of the joint chili-serving and public relations initiative.

On the chili side of things, this year Wurster said that they were “going for heat” with their recipe, adding some jalapeno and habanero peppers to the mix. Last year, Wurster notes that they might have let their chili run unpalatably hot for the general public, and so this time around they’re trying to strike a balance by toning it down a bit while still retaining some of that nostril-flaring kick.

As chili-slurping patrons milled about from station to station, those manning each booth nervously hoped that each ladle would be able to distinguish itself from the competition. For those wanting a change of pace from the more traditional chili fare being served at most tables, Western States Insurance switched things up with their flavorful Jamaican Bacon Buffalo Jerk chili, which earned the People’s Choice for “the best chili in Western Montana” and took third prize from the judges.

The day’s biggest winners weren’t the ones serving up award-winning chili, but those lucky few who took home the coveted raffle prizes such as $1,000 cash or a 102-bottle wine cellar.

Urbach said that the raffle prizes are where the event really makes its money. This year’s prizes were all donated this year by local businesses. A complete list of raffle and chili winners are listed below:

Best chili

1st place- Polson Rotary

2nd place- Eagle Bank

3rd place- Western States Insurance

Peoples Choice Best Chili- Western States Insurance

Peoples Choice Best Decorations & Costumes- Mission Valley Aquatics

Peoples choice Best Chili by Banks- First Interstate Bank

Raffle winners:

$1,000 donated by First Interstate Bank- Todd Coutts

$1,000 of groceries donated by Super One- Evonne O’Neill

$1,000 of gas donated by Western States Insurance/Community Bank- Tina Mercer

Kobe Beef donated by John and Liz Marchi- Brooke Lund

Wine Cellar (102 bottles) donated by Rotary members- Willie Stene

Two Season Golf Passes donated by City of Polson- Karen Pawlik