41st Ever Rose City Chili Cookoff this weekend

TYLER — The 41st Ever Rose City Chili Cookoff is set for March 4-5 at Sharon Shrine Temple on Hwy. 31 East in Smith County. There’s a $25 entry fee for Chili Appreciation Society International (CASI) chili on Saturday, with turn in time at 1:00 p.m., and Sunday with a turn in time at 12 noon. It’s a CASI sanctioned event, so you must follow CASI rules. The winner of the Sunday cookoff automatically qualifies to be invited to cook at the Terlingua International Chili Championship in November. It costs $10 to enter beans, which will be turned in for judging on Saturday at noon.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. March 4 at the Sharon Shrine. Anyone interested in cooking is invited and may contact John Daniels at 903-530-4497 for more information. Judges are needed as well. If you’re interested in judging, contact Pamela “Blu” Daniels of the Rose City Chili Pod at blondefilly@wb4me.com. Activities also include the People’s Choice, in which anyone can cook, and there are no rules. The beneficiary of this year’s cookoff is the Shriner’s Hospital for Children Texas Transportation Fund.