St. Clairsville Rotary Club secretary Sarah Barickman prepares chili for attendees of the March Madness Chili Cook-Off Fundraiser. (Photo provided)

ST. CLAIRSVILLE – It’s not getting too spicy for the pepper for the St. Clairsville Rotary Club, who is hosting its second annual March Madness Chili Cook-Off Fundraiser from 5-8 p.m. on March 19 at the Wise Building located at the Belmont County Fairgrounds.

Participants will showcase their best recipes across four signature categories – Traditional Red Chili (a classic beef or pork chili with a tomato base), White Chicken Chili (a hearty blend of chicken, white bean and savory cream), Vegetarian Chili (a flavorful, meat-free option of vegetables, legumes and spices) and Spicy Chili (a old, fiery creations featuring an array of hot peppers.)

Winners of each category will advance to the event’s final four, where they will compete head-to-head for the title of “Overall Chili Champion.”

“The March Madness Chili Cook-Off is more than a culinary showdown, it is a vital fundraising initiative,” the St. Clairsville Rotary Club said via a press release. “Proceeds from entry fees, community donations and on-site fundraising activities will directly support the Rotary Club’s year-round community projects and service efforts. The Chili Cook-Off brings out the best of our community, creativity, generosity and a spirit of coming together.”

It added that every bowl served helps the organization “make a meaningful difference.”

Residents, families and local businesses are encouraged to attend, taste, vote and enjoy an evening of community fellowship.

Club secretary Sarah Barickman said that cooks can enter the competition for $25 while attendees can purchase a ticket in advance $20 in advance or $25 at the door to spectate and taste the different chilis. She said that tickets can be purchased by any Rotarian.

For more information about participation, sponsorship or event details, contact the Rotary Club of St. Clairsville at rotaryofstclairsville@gmail.com, or on its Facebook page.

The overall champion will receive a $100 cash prize and a championship trophy. The People’s Choice Award will receive recognition and be featured on the Rotary Club’s website and newsletter.

“We’re pretty excited about this, we’re going to have some other things, like raffle baskets and games to raise money and the proceeds will go right back into the community,” Barickman said. “We have a scholarship program and different grants that we award every year to various organizations throughout the St. Clairsville community.

“The rotary is founded on service above self. And so our Rotary Club has been serving the community for a very long time and through the four way test and making sure that we are good residents of our community, whether that’s local, national or international, and by having an event like this we are able to raise funds to give back to lots of different local organizations.”

Barickman said that the club has historically hosted the Taste of the Valley event until the 2020 global pandemic happened.

The Taste of the Valley was an annual event that saw local restaurants and caterers showcase their favorite menu items by setting up tables and preparing sample size portions of favorite entrees, appetizers, desserts and other delectable choices.

“We couldn’t do it during COVID and then we tried it again and our costs were really high for that,” Barickman said. “And so last year, one of our Rotarians thought, well, let’s try chili cookoff. Let’s do something different because we weren’t getting the attendance that we did with the Taste of the Valley and we thought, let’s try something new.

“So we did the chili cook off and it did really well and we had a lot of fun. And our club is really fun and we like to enjoy ourselves. Because it was successful last year, we thought, why not do it again this year.”