Clarification
A correction was made at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 13, 2023: An earlier version of this article reported an attendance figure of 863. Philomath Police Chief Ken Rueben clarified that the number that had been announced at the event was a reference to the number of on-site sales and didn't take into account tickets sold online, which when added in brought the total to 1,014.
The Public Safety Chili Cook-off, a four-hour fundraiser for the Philomath Police Foundation and the Benton County Sheriff’s Foundation attracted its largest crowd ever with a head count of 1,014, organizers announced.
The hundreds of chili tasters had plenty of sampling to do with a record 25 teams competing for top honors in six categories.
Gallery: Public Safety Chili Cook-off (Sept. 10, 2023)
A collection of photos from the Public Safety Chili Cook-off at the Philomath Frolic and Rodeo’s Yew Wood Corral on Sunday.
Winners by category:
• Local Businesses — Philomath Rental’s “Tools R Us” with team captain Dennis Cabatic.
• Sheriff’s Office Teams — BCSO Reserves with team captain Shelby Moody.
• First Responders and Support — Corvallis 911’s “Bubble and Simmer” with team captain Andrew Thompson.
• Restaurants — La Rockita’s “El Chile” with team captain Julie Nunez.
• Police Departments — Philomath Police Department’s “5-0 Championship Chili” with team captain Ken Rueben.
• People’s Choice — Corvallis Police Department with team captain Jason Harvey.
Twenty-seven teams had originally registered to participate but two had to drop out.
Money raised through the event will benefit the 4 Spirits Distillery Veterans Scholarship Fund and the Philomath and Sheriff’s Office foundations.