The Marys River Grange is ladling up what it hopes will become a new community tradition this weekend with the inaugural Soup Off, a fundraiser aimed at helping the local organization remodel its kitchen.
Scheduled for Sunday, the event will open to the public for tasting from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Marys River Grange Hall. Admission is $10 for ages 12 and older and $5 for ages 11 and under.
The idea came from Reyna Aguiar, a grange member who has been involved with the organization for the past couple of years. Aguilar drew inspiration from her husband’s family.
“His family had like a family ‘soup-off’ that they would do every year — his cousin hosted it and I always thought that was really fun,” Aguiar said. “They got together, everybody would bring a soup and they’d do the same thing — have a tasting and look for their favorite.”
When the grange began discussing ways to raise money for a kitchen remodel, Aguiar saw an opportunity to bring the concept to the broader community.
“When we were talking about what we could do to help raise money for a kitchen remodel, I thought, well, soup and winter — who doesn’t want that?” she said. “And February is kind of slow and the weather is kind of difficult to plan things, especially for families.”
As of earlier this week, nine soup makers had signed up to compete, with Aguiar expecting the total to reach around a dozen. Entries won’t be limited strictly to soup — at least one participant is bringing a stew and another a jambalaya.
“We’re very generous with soup,” Aguiar said. “Whatever we get, we’re happy to taste.”
Contestants must arrive by 11 a.m. with two gallons of ready-to-serve soup and are asked to bring an ingredient card to help attendees with food allergies navigate their tasting choices. Each attendee will receive a two-ounce sample of each entry and one voting card to cast for their favorite. The winner will be announced at 2 p.m.
The grand prize includes a new seven-quart enameled Dutch oven, a customized apron and an engraved wooden trophy spoon.
“That’s how I usually make my soups — in a good Dutch oven pan,” Aguiar said. “I thought, what a great kind of prize.”
“That’s how I usually make my soups — in a good Dutch oven pan,” Aguiar said. “That’s what I use for my stews and potato soups but I thought, what a great kind of prize.”
The event will also feature a bake sale with breads, muffins, cornbread and desserts. Any remaining soup near the end of the event may be sold by the bowl for those who want to take home a favorite.
For Aguiar, the fundraiser is also about shining a light on a community resource she feels is underappreciated.
“The grange is really special to me,” she said. “It’s a really underused resource in our community and I just want to bring awareness to the grange and to things that are offered.”
She hopes the event becomes a fixture on the local calendar.
“I’m hoping it’s going to be an annual thing that we can count on as a fundraiser for the grange,” Aguiar said.
Those still interested in entering can register through the online entry form. The entry fee is $15, and Aguiar said she hopes to have a final count of contestants by the end of Saturday so organizers can prepare the soup-tasting stations and make sure there are enough outlets.
For those with questions, Aguiar is available at 541-290-1855. Marys River Grange Hall is located at 24707 Grange Hall Road in Philomath.
“I’m a big, big fan of soups,” Aguiar said, “so I’m really excited to see what we have coming out.”