Caring for Kids: Festival features chili, raffles
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POLSON — Edgar is on the fritz according to Rob Turner, Polson Rotary Club President.
Edgar is the Boys and Girls Club van, and the club is this year’s Rotary Festival for Youth beneficiary. Rotary hopes to provide a $15,000 cash infusion allowing the BGC to replace (sorry, Edgar) the van.
While the BGC definitely is a good cause and impacts from 400 to 600 children, the 5th annual Festival for Youth was fun, too, with a chili cook-off, music by Mega Karma, children’s games, a bounce house, face painting by the Polson High School cheerleaders and a Rotary Club raffle.
Attendees strolled under the trees at Riverside Park on Saturday with cups of chili, tasting, comparing and advising friends which of the spicy soups to try.
Rumors circulated that Uncle Walt’s chili was very spicy, with lots of habenero. The homemade root beer at the St. Joseph’s Medical Center booth was also a favorite.
The weather was perfect, with sunshine and a slight breeze, as opposed to last year’s chilly festival.
Turner said the Rotarians begin soliciting applications from groups that support Mission Valley youth in January, and this year they received 13 applications. The group likes to fill a tangible need, such as replacing Edgar. Last year the Rotarians chose the Mission Valley Mariners, which allowed the club to bring the state tournament to Polson.
The Festival for Youth is a major fundraiser for Rotary, but without help from Super 1, First Interstate Bank, the City of Polson and Marchi Ranch, it would never happen, Turner said.
“The chili does well,” Turner said, “but the raffle does even better.”
All the competitors were vying for the People’s Choice award, best decorations, and the first, second and third prizes.
This year’s chili cook-off winners were: First – United Methodist Church; Second- Western States Insurance; Third – Boy Scouts of America; People’s Choice – Polson Rotary Club; Best decorations – Polson Rotary club.
Raffle winners were: $1,000 groceries from Super 1 Foods – Beth Brashear; $1,000 cash from First Interstate Bank – Leonard and Shirley Moody; 300 pounds of Kobe beef donated by Marchi Ranch– Bergh and DeVries CPAs; Two golf passes donated by the City of Polson – Rob Hanson; Approximately 115 bottles of wine donated by Rotarians — Salon Env.
