Firefighters from around the Capital District will fire up the stoves for an evening of chili and camaraderie.
In what is hoped to become an annual event, South Colonie will host the first Colonie Fire Department Chili Cook Off on Friday, Feb. 13, at the Village of Colonie Senior Center, 2 Thunder Road. Proceeds from the night will support the South Colonie iCARE program and the Special Education Parent Teacher Association.
From 4 to 8 p.m., several fire departments from the district will compete with their best chili recipes for a trophy designed by a South Colonie art student. There will be nine judges for the winner, including Town Supervisor Paula Mahan, Superintendent Jonathan Buhner, Assemblyman Phil Steck, and Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple.
“I’m really looking forward to being a judge in the chili cook-off,” Mahan said. “I commend South Colonie’s iCARE team for creating activities that bring our community together to support important initiatives, and for promoting the importance of young people being involved in their community. This is a great event for the whole family to enjoy.”
The cook-off will include more than just chili. Tom Kachadurian, Vice Principal of Colonie Central High School and iCARE head, said 10 local vendors will attend, along with seven school clubs. Other kid-friendly meals will also be available.
“We want this to not just be our South Colonie community. We want to bring this very large community as close together as we can,” said Kachadurian. “We’re looking to try and give people more reason to smile and get together.”
For iCARE, the proceeds will go toward the American Cancer Society, similar to the proceeds form last year’s RaiderFest, to be held May 30 this year. High school student and iCARE member May Wang said the program’s purpose was to raise awareness for such issues and help people be better informed.
Last year, the program brought $15,000 from RaiderFest events and $24,000 altogether for the Cancer Society.
“What started off as student outreach became a group of students that just wanted to make an impact on the community and shed light on issues that people might not be aware about, like spreading cancer awareness,” said Wang.
This year, Wang said that iCARE is concentrating on negative mental images for teens and creating a positive atmosphere at school for students.
As for the chili cook off, Kachadurian said he was hopeful for the turnout. Facebook posts and Twitter messages have been sent out to publicize the event, and teachers and faculty have expressed interest in being involved.
Kachadurian said that the number of firehouses participating grew once word of the cook off got out. On top of Colonie-based fire departments, like Fuller and Shaker roads and the Village of Colonie, departments from Schenectady and Albany also joined in.
The hope, Kachadurian said, is not only for the cook off to bring the large community of Colonie together, but also be a big enough to continue in the future. The trophy includes a placard for the winning firehouse with room to inscribe future names as it’s passed around to each winning house.
“What’s better than bonding is breaking bread and being with people,” said Kachadurian. “The idea was, how can we get us all together and make it productive? These kids and these adults will meet outside of typical responsibilities as a community together.”
Tickets for the event are $10 for adults, $7 for kids 6-17, $6 for South Colonie students with an ID, and free for children under 5 years old. More information can be found at www.southcolonieschools.org.
