Times Fun When You’re Having Flies
~Kermit the Frog
Or as the saying goes as we know it, Time Flies When You’re Having Fun. And Fun did we have?!?! Or maybe, boy did we have fun. Hey, he gets to say it backward, can’t I? No, you’re right, probably not.
With all that said (and really nothing said yet) I’m pleased to announce that this year’s Chili/Non-Chili Cook-off and Silent Auction was THE. BEST. YET. I’m pretty sure we’re all floored at how well it went off this year. And to say that we felt like it sprang on us and we were unprepared would be a bit of an understatement. But like they say about weddings, no one knows the details you forgot, except you. And I know a few things we forgot, but do you know what they are? Nope and mum is the word!
7th Annual Newton County Christmas for Kids Chili/Non-Chili Cook-off and Silent Auction
Entry into the event this year was $5. With that $5, you also got 5 voting tickets for the Chili/Non-Chili People’s Choice. After you used up your 5 tickets, votes were $1/vote.
This year we had a record number of Chili entries. That was extremely exciting! A little stressful, but not really. We got it all worked out quickly and easily. Now help us spread the word that we want more chili entries next year, please! This year… drum roll, please… We had 20 entries in the Chili category and 2 in the Non-Chili category. This number varies every year, but this year was the most entries total we’ve received. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who participated!
With 20 entries our judges had quite the challenge laid out in front of them. Judges this year were Richard Crouch, Drake Weston, and Kris Hunt under the supervision of Shirley Mann.
During the Judging
While the judges were judging, people were milling around. Don’t worry though, we had plenty of things to do to occupy our time. This year we had Outdoor Jenga.
Bounce Houses provided by Affordable Bounce Houses. This year they actually were able to set up because it wasn’t crazy windy as it has been in the years past.
And of course, we had the silent auction going on. This year the auction went through 8:30 p.m.
And an Ax Throwing Mobile Trailer by Johnathan Fosdick.
Around 5:30, it was dinner time.
This year we also added hayrides. Hayrides went out on the hour every hour. And while I wasn’t able to jump on any of them, I heard we even had good stories provided by Shawn Doty.
Winners
But the real reason we were there… the Chili/Non-Chili Cook-off.
We also had a quilt for raffle this year donated by Harriett Miller. Along with that, Royer Tire has a raffle going on currently through December 15, 2019, for a set of 4 tires of choice valued up to $650, includes mounting and balancing. Pick a ticket up for $1/chance at Extreme Sports Scuba, Shamrock Bolt & Screw, or Royer Tire.
We also had the 50/50 drawing. Thank you, Jennifer Crosswhite, for donating your winnings back to the cause.
This year we had DJ Dr. Fresh providing the entertainment. I heard at one point we had over 20 people up, on their feet dancing. That’s awesome!
And of course, we still had the dessert table. This year Tori Willoughby manned the table with the help of Squishy. Don’t worry, no dog germs were placed on desserts. Most people served their desserts themselves. Tori just helped collect the money. This year we had Texas Sheet Cake, Memaw Cookies (chocolate chip cookies that everyone refers to affectionately as Memaw Cookies), Snicker Doodle Cookies, and Molasses Cookies.
p.s. if you don’t know what a Memaw Cookie is, why not?
So now truthfully, the real reason we were here… Raising money for the kids. This was our best year yet. I mentioned that previously, but I’m serious. You’d like to know how much? I’m so glad you asked. We were UP $2,423.25 from last year giving us a grand total of $5,033.25 raised. This does not include the tire raffle that goes through December 15, 2019.
From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank everyone who was involved in making this possible. That goes from the setup crew to the item donations to the cook-off participants to anyone who came through the gate that night. Without everyone involved, this would not have been as lucrative as it was. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We can’t say thank you enough at this point!
And now it is time to put on your Halloween Costume while Eating Turkey and Dancing to Christmas Music… haha.
Thank you!