When the circuit breakers tripped as the 16th crockpot was plugged in we absolutely knew we had a night for the books! An additional extension cord off another circuit allowed for a few more last arrivals to be plugged in. Altogether we finished the evening with a record-breaking 20 entries in the 5th Annual McPherson Town Chili Cook-off.

We had some unbelievably delicious entries this year. There was something for every herbivore, omnivore and diehard carnivore. (Hey, we have a very inclusive neighborhood.) A mini-theme developed this year with a few recipes featuring pineapple.

Taking home the coveted gold ladle was “Pollo Tomatillo Yo. Yo.” chili.  Silver went to “Jalisco Pork Chili Verde.” And a tie resulted in two bronze ladles being awarded—a cook-off first. “Occupy Dayton OWS” and “Aloha Maui Chicken Chili” were separated by nary a bean in the voting. Congratulations all!

But again, the real winner was our neighborhood. We may have been able to fit a few more people in, but we’d have been hard pressed to squeeze much more fun out of an evening with our neighbors.