By Dick Isenhour
The Greenwood Kiwanis Club’s annual Chili Cook-off is set for Friday, Feb. 1, from 4:30-7:30 p.m., at Greenwood United Methodist Church, 525 N. Madison Ave., Greenwood.
The event will feature entries prepared by local firefighters, all vying for the honor of best chili — and all helping to raise money for Riley Hospital and other child-related projects the club sponsors.
The cost is $7.50 for adults, which includes chili, cornbread, dessert and drink. Children 10 and younger are $3, which includes a hot dog (or chili), chips, dessert and a drink.
(Submitted photos)
More than 1,100 cups of chili were served to chili connoisseurs last year. After votes were counted, Toni Wampler and Joe Kipfer of the Bargersville Fire Department emerged victorious.
“Firefighters love food and, of course, we’re all competitive in nature,” Wampler, an emergency medical technician, said at the time. “The chili cook-off was a fun challenge and we were honored to be part of a fundraiser to benefit kids.”
This year’s event also will feature a silent auction to raise funds for the club’s Bill and Sharlene Mellencamp Scholarship fund. Each year, the club awards scholarships to seniors at Greenwood, Franklin Central and Center Grove high schools, where it sponsors Key Clubs.
“The Mellencamps were friends and fellow Kiwanians who left this earth far too soon,” said Karenn Isenhour, auction coordinator. “Both were teachers with soft spots for children. As a continuing tribute to them, we established the fund that bears their names.”
The Greenwood Kiwanis Club is one of more than 8,000 Kiwanis clubs around the globe, all dedicated to making the world a better place, one community — and one child — at a time. The club meets at 6:30 p.m. every Tuesday at Firehouse Subs, across US 31 from the Greenwood Park Mall.
For more information, contact Richard “Dick” Isenhour, (317) 442-7456; isenhourrichard@sbcglobal.net
