More than 600 people visited Ridge Ferry Park on Saturday, Nov. 6, sampling from a wide variety of chilis in the 2021 edition of the Chili Fest presented by Courtesy Ford of Rome. The competition proved super close for the teams.
Papa Dew's Chili grabbed the overall title and the Chili Fest Championship belt with one of the judges noting after tasting the sampling that he wished he had a whole bowl of it. The Rome Redbacks placed second and Allegedly Chili placed third. Allegedly also won for best team name.
More than 1,000 votes were cast in the People’s Choice competition with the Outlaw Heifers claiming first place. They also won for best cook site setup as their site was decked out a rustic setup, featuring a horse made from corn husks and chicken wire. Homeboy’s took second in the People’s Choice voting while Papa Dew's grabbed third.
Taylor Cline and Jordan Hazelwood teamed to win the corn hole tournament with Jake Abbott and Cody Shepard grabbing second and the team of Enoch Statham and Zach Dotson finishing third.