Lakeside’s colossal 41st annual Mexican National Chili Cookoff is now history and with all the accounting finished, the board of directors has split up proceeds for disbursement among the nine charities that benefit from the event.
Representatives of Casa de Ancianos, Cedejo Development Center, Cruz Roja Chapala, Lake Chapala Shrine Club, Love in Action, Niños de Chapala y Ajijic, Niños Incapacitados del Lago, the School for Special Children and Sunrise Rotary were called together Friday, March 22, at Manix Restaurant for a symbolic payout represented by a giant check. The cut of 60,000 pesos for each organization has been distributed by electronic bank transfer.
Cookoff President Jacque Bouchard expressed his gratitude to fellow steering committee members, the beneficiaries, participating businesses and merchants, and hundreds of helpers who contributed to making the three-day February hoedown a resounding success.
“The event is so large and complex that it takes a lot of volunteers, man-hours and blood, sweat and tears to pull it off,” Bouchard remarked.
Although dates for the 2020 Cookoff have not been set, the committee is ready to begin recruiting new blood for next year. Committee chairs with openings include entertainment, culinary contests, raffles, inventory and supplies, printed program and advertising.