Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
The aroma of chilli will fill the halls of Napanee District Secondary School on Nov. 27 as the school’s Interact Club hosts its seventh annual ChiliFest.
Tickets for the event, which is open to staff and students at the school, will be sold outside the school’s cafeteria starting on Nov. 20 as well as the day of the event. Tickets are $2 for one bowl of $3 for three bowls.
Along with chilli, the club will also be selling hot chocolate for $1.
“The cafeteria will just be this huge circle of chilli,” says Kierstin Simpson, a member of the NDSS Interact Club. “Students can bring chilli, as well as teachers and there will be a lot of teams.”
The money raised from the event will be donated to a charity of the Interact Club’s choosing. Last year they raised $400 after their expenses, which they donated to Morningstar Mission and to support students in need.
Those that bring their beefy masterpieces will also be vying for the coveted judge’s choice awards.
“Mr. Roantree is trying to win again for the spiciest chilli,” said Morgan Porter, also a member of the NDSS Interact Club.
Being a judge is an honour in itself — so much sought after that they’ll be holding a draw to see who gets the prestigious position.
“They’ll be a draw for the teacher judges and a draw for the student judges, so there will be two students and two teachers to keep it even,” said Simpson.
The winning dish will take home the coveted ChilliFest trophy.
“One of the woodshop classes made it for us,” said Porter. “It’s a wooden crockpot.”
NDSS Interact Club, which is made up of 13 students, works closely with the Rotary Club of Napanee and supports both local and global charities. The students volunteer their time to organize various fundraisers throughout the year. Last year in total they raised $3,500.
The upcoming ChiliFest is one of just several projects currently on the go. They’ll also be appearing in the Town of Greater Napanee’s Parade of Lights, which takes place Dec. 1.