When Halloween is over, two things often come to mind among residents of Columbus: football and chili.
Beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, the popular Columbus Firemen’s Cheer Fund’s annual Chili Cook-off will take place at Fire Station 1, located at 11th and Washington. Ten different varieties of chili will be available until 8 p.m. or when the chili is gone.
“It’s a great way to kick off the Cheer Fund season for the firefighters and the community,” event spokesman Capt. Mike Wilson said.
Patrons are asked to approach the fire station from the north on Jackson Street, Wilson said. Vehicles were be brought into the parking lot before they are directed to where they can pick up their chili. When they exit, cars and trucks will be brought through the station and routed to the west on 11th Street.
While there is no purchase price, the community is urged to make a free will offering to benefit the Cheer Fund, which provides disadvantaged children with holiday gifts shortly before Christmas. Cash or check contributions will be accepted.
“In the past, people have been very generous with the goodwill donations, and the Chili-Cook-off does very well,” Wilson said. “It’s not a huge money maker for the Cheer Fund in the grand scheme of things. But it has become part of the organization’s history, and we always get a lot of support.”
During the 2020 pandemic, the Cheer Fund began a drive-thru service for the event for public health purposes. But organizers have learned in subsequent years that many patrons prefer the drive-thru over a sit-down supper.
Why? There is always a sectional high school football game on the Friday after Halloween. Many prefer to pick up their chili and take it to either Stafford Field at Columbus East or Max Andress Field at Columbus North.
There are two significant home games beginning at 7 p.m. Friday. The Columbus North Bulldogs will host the Franklin Central Flashes, while the Columbus East Olympians host the Franklin Grizzly Cubs.
The 10 types of chili available run the gambit from mild to extremely hot, Wilson said. Every year, the most daring patrons will request retired firefighter Bob Tempest’s recipe, he said. As Cheer Fund co-chairman Ben Noblitt puts it, Tempest grows his own peppers and isn’t afraid to use them.
