Leesburg chili cook-off attracts more than 1,000 visitors to Town Square
The aroma of home-cooked chili wafted throughout downtown Leesburg on Nov. 4 as the Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Burn in the Burg Chili Cook-Off at the Town Square in front of Leesburg City Hall.
Local businesses showed up with their cheery crews and set up creatively decorated booths to dole out portions of kidney-bean-and-meat-with-tomato-sauce stews served in a variety of ways, from traditional or mild to spicy to sweet-and-spicy to aromatic-with-loads-of-seasoning.
The Orlando-based Layla Brisbois Band performed crowd-pleasing rock and pop hits.
More than 1,000 visitors at Burn in the Burg got to partake of cash bars and vote for their favorite chili. The vibe was upbeat and the hungry revelers were fed quickly as local volunteers handed out samples, many with extra toppings such as sour cream, corn and tortilla chips and shredded cheese.
In the People’s vote, Gator Harley-Davidson took first place. Glover Chiropractic was second, and Leesburg Police Department won third.
The Judges Choice went to Warren Willis UMC Camp and Conference Center.
Best Booth winner was Swamp Cabbage Crew.
First prize was $500, second place scored $300 and third won $200.
Judges' choice got $100. Best decorated booth gets a free entry for next year's competition.
Visit leesburgpartnership.com to learn about participating in next year's event.
This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Chili cook-off spiced up Leesburg with tasty stews and family fun
