The aroma of simmering spices and the sound of friendly competition will fill the air at the Philomath Frolic and Rodeo grounds this Sunday as the annual Public Safety Chili Cook-Off returns for another year of community gathering and charitable fundraising.
Scheduled to run from 1-5 p.m. Sept. 7 in the Yew Wood Corral, the event has grown into much more than a simple chili-tasting competition. Organizer Ken Rueben, retired Philomath police chief, believes the event has evolved into a beloved community tradition that brings neighbors together in a relaxed Sunday afternoon atmosphere.
“You see people talking around the tables and catching up with old friends — it’s kind of neat,” Rueben said, comparing the event to a class reunion. “It’s also the camaraderie of all the teams — people come back and look for the same teams they enjoyed the year before or just the conversations they’ve had with a team. It’s a lot of fun.”
General admission prices are $10 for ages 12 and older and $5 for ages under 12. For those who want to skip the line going in, tickets can be purchased in advance online. Adult beverages, including mixed drinks, beer and wine, will be available for purchase.
The chili cook-off has been staged in Philomath since 2019.
“We’ve got a really great venue that works for the event,” Rueben said about the rodeo grounds. “It invites that hometown feel to it.”
The cook-off, co-sponsored by the Philomath Police Foundation and Benton County Sheriff’s Office Foundation, continues to draw record crowds. Last year saw 1,133 attendees, including 963 paid participants along with team members, volunteers and vendors.
As of Wednesday morning, there were 22 teams registered to participate with the possibility of a 23rd being added. Among those are a half-dozen first-timers.
“That’s about the right number,” Rueben said about the number of attendees and teams. “If there’s 1,000 people that come in and every team has to cook 10 gallons of chili and we give 2- to 4-ounce servings, you need about 20 to 21 teams to basically break even for the amount of chili — if everybody that comes in the gate tastes every single chili, which I know does not happen.
“But there’s also a lot of people that come and taste the same chili over and over again … and some teams run out of their 10 gallons by 4:30 and some teams don’t,” he added. “So it’s kind of a weird balancing act of how many teams you need at a minimum to handle between 800 and 1,000 people.”
The range of teams that the cook-off attracts run from the very competitive to very relaxed.
“The police and fire folks that are involved are very competitive just because they’ve been talking all year about it … like ‘we won’ or ‘you cheated’ — the talking trash kind of thing that happens between the teams,” Rueben said. “But other teams are just there because it’s such a fun event.”
Teams will be judged in categories based on their organization type, including police, first responders, restaurants and others. A people’s choice award will be determined by public voting through a phone app, with Alyrica providing enhanced wifi services to handle the large crowd. This year will also feature an award for best decorated booth.
All proceeds from the event benefit the 4 Spirits Veterans Scholarship Fund, which helps veterans pay for classes at Western Oregon University. Last year’s cook-off generated enough revenue to donate $10,000 to the scholarship fund.
Roughly a fourth of the money raised through the chili cook-off comes from a raffle, which includes several major prizes. The list of featured raffle items includes a hunting rifle, Blackstone grill, outdoor fire pit, camping gear, hanging basket stand, patio chairs, freeze-dried meal package, food gift certificates and various other items.
Raffle tickets are $2 each, three for $5, seven for $10 or 20 for $20. They can be purchased in advance in the Philomath Police Department’s lobby.
In addition to Rueben, the group that works behind the scenes to put on the event includes Philomath Police volunteer Marcia Gilson, Corvallis Regional Communications Center dispatcher Andy Thompson, Benton County Sheriff Jef Van Arsdall, Philomath Police Chief Dave Gurski and Benton County Accreditation Specialist Kathy Pusztavari.
For Rueben, the event represents something increasingly rare in modern communities.
“It just seems to me like there’s not as many of these small-town events in the world anymore, and you draw people every year to something that’s on the calendar that they look forward to and this is just one of those,” said Rueben, who has been involved with the event for more than a decade.
Preparedness Fair also to take place
Adding educational value to the day’s festivities, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management team will hold its annual Preparedness Fair from 1-5 p.m. just outside the entrance gate. The free event, part of National Preparedness Month recognition, will feature 14 organizations offering hands-on learning opportunities about emergency preparedness.
“Disasters can happen anytime, anywhere,” said BCSO Emergency Manager Bryan Lee. “The Preparedness Fair is a chance for residents to gain practical knowledge, connect with experts and take small but important steps toward keeping their families and neighbors safe.”
Visitors can explore interactive displays covering preparation for wildfires, floods, earthquakes, winter storms and extended power outages while meeting with local emergency response experts.
