Chili Cook Off

Saturday, May 3, 2008 will mark the 29th anniversary of the Virginia State Championship Chili Cook Off in Roanoke, Virginia. The annual festival brings chili cooks from across the country to compete for monetary prizes and the chance to go on as Virginia’s representative to the World Championship Chili Cook Off held annually each fall.

The Chili Cook Off is a fun festival for the whole family and takes place in downtown Roanoke at Norfolk Ave. and Salem Ave., The Railside Amphitheatre, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Get there early if you want a taste of some of the competitor’s recipes! You will also enjoy a full day of musical entertainment, a children’s festival zone with games and activities, and a variety of arts and crafts vendors. Chili-by-the-bowl is also sold as an additional fundraiser for Greenvale School.

Stay into the afternoon to enjoy the music and games, especially headlining band The Kings who usually take the stage around 1 p.m. The Chili Cook Off winners will be announced starting around 4:30 p.m. Admission is just $4 per person, $3 in advance (admission buttons are available for sale in advance at Stop In Food Stores in the Roanoke area), and children 10 and under are free. Your admission payment gets you access to a voting ballot for People’s Choice Chili, all craft vendors, the children’s festival zone, a full day of musical entertainment acts and chili tastings while they last – they go fast! Best of all, your admission payment benefits the scholarship fund at Greenvale School.

Q99-FM and their morning show hosts Dick and Dave join us annually and their chili recipe is always a crowd pleaser. WDBJ-7 also participates as a media sponsor and in 2006, their "Survivor" Chili was perfect for Big Tom Buchanan's visit to the Chili Cookoff. Big Tom will be back in 2008, so come get his autograph! We can’t wait to see what Q-99 and WDBJ-7 cook up for 2007!

Please contribute to our First Citizen's Bank PENNY PITCH at the 2008 Chili Cookoff! You can support Greenvale's New School Bus Fund by throwing your spare pennies and loose change into our old school bus, which will be parked at the stage area. Our goal is to collect one million pennies, or $10,000, at this year's Chili Cookoff, so please help us reach our goal and buy a new school bus by sharing your loose change with us at the Chili Cookoff this year.

2007
The 2007 Chili Cookoff was a huge success, netting over $30,000 for Greenvale's Scholarship Fund! will be held on May 5, 2007. See you there! And don't forget the other great Roanoke Food Tradition, taking place in Elmwood Park May 4-5, 2007, The Strawberry Festival!