ASHLAND —
The spicy smell of chili blew though downtown Ashland on Saturday, carried from the “Great Bowls of Fire Chilifest” by wind gusts of up to 20 mph.
“It’s probably been the best Chilifest ever. We’ve had record turnout. Record sales. Record weather. It is the meeting of everything perfect,” said the festival’s chief organizer Cheryl Spriggs, “I’m just blown away,” she said in a nod to the winds that kept the day interesting, threatening to topple tents and equipment.
Saturday was the 10th year for the festival, which raises money for the Paramount Arts Center. Spriggs estimated there had been more than 3,000 people attend the event, which drew 23 competitors.
“People love this festival,” said Spriggs. “It’s been a huge day. It has been great.”
“It’s awesome,” agreed Gail Donovan, who was helping her husband Bill “Gumby” Donovan, cook.
Saturday’s cook-off is sanctioned by the ICS and is the Kentucky state cook-off. The Donovan’s are already headed to the National Cook-off in Charleston, W.Va., in a couple of weeks but Bill Donovan had yet to qualify for his red chili, and was cooking for a chance Saturday.
“Today, like any other cook-off, it’s up to the judges,” he said, “You might think you have a good pot of chili and it doesn’t do well and other times you think your pot is lousy and it does really well.”
“We’ve been cooking in the International Chili Society since 1985,” said Gail Donovan. “We travel all around the country and Canada and this is one of the better cook-offs,” she said. “The people are very friendly here. The person (Spriggs) who puts on the event is very accommodating. To have a chairperson that is friendly with the cooks, it helps.” She also praised the venue for being easy to access for cooks. “Most of all it’s the friendly people,” she said.
“I’ve had a good time, the chili has been good,” said Mary Lou Mullins, of Ironton. “I like this a lot better than Huntington. In Huntington you were bumping into people,” said Mullins.
“The chili here was better than up at the Huntington Chilifest, added David Wilburn, also of Ironton, Ohio. He had spent his afternoon sampling “about all of them.” His favorite came from the Clear Channel booth.
“It’s a good atmosphere and good chili,” he said.
CARRIE STAMBAUGH can be reached at cstambaugh@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2653.
Local News
Wind can’t break Chilifest
Patrons, competitors ‘blown away’ by Great Bowls of Fire
- Local News
-
-
RONNIE ELLIS: Fallout from scandals remains to be seen
Scandals like those roiling Washington often look more or less nefarious as time and facts unfold. After all, what at first looked like a third-rate burglary turned into Watergate.
-
05/16/2013 — What's Happening
Local news
-
Assisted living facility gets another perfect score
King’s Daughters and Sons Home assisted living has received a perfect score from the state.
-
Applauding the entrepreneurs among us
If Thursday’s Northeast Kentucky Small Business Awards are any indication, entrepreneurialism is alive and well in Ashland and the surrounding areas.
-
Food pantry receives childhood hunger grant
The First United Methodist Church Food Pantry, a Huntington Area Food Bank-affiliated agency, has been selected to receive a grant of $20,000. The funds will be used to implement and maintain childhood hunger programs.
-
Ashland’s city manager to retire
Ashland City Manager Stephen W. Corbitt announced plans this week to retire.
He told city officials Tuesday he wanted to leave his post on July 31 but has since agreed to stay on the job while the search for his replacement is conducted. That is expected to take four to six months. -
Commission meetings to change in August
Ashland City Commissioners voted 3 to 2 on Thursday to move its public meeting days and times.
-
SUMMER MOTION Lineup complete
The musical lineup for the 25th anniversary Summer Motion celebration has been set. Rockers Loverboy and country music legends Sawyer Brown are scheduled to play along with Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. and rock icons Styx in addition to several notable local and regional acts, according to Summer Motion President Cade Mahan.
-
Third arrest in Greenup murder
Police have arrested another man in the murder of a Westwood man whose body was found dumped in rural Greenup County in March.
-
Verity students have a blast with science
The threatening clouds over Putnam Stadium proved an ideal test of teamwork as groups of seventh-graders rushed to launch their pop-bottle rockets Thursday before the rain came down.
- More Local News Headlines
-
RONNIE ELLIS: Fallout from scandals remains to be seen
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
Raw: School Bus Crash Injures Five Children
Quick Response Saved Baby on Phila. Train Tracks
One Million Evacuated As Cyclone Hits Bangladesh
