September 12th, 2026

Chili Cookoff Rules and Regulations

1. An entry fee of $25 allows up to two (2) people cooking in your booth. An entry fee of $50 allows up to four (4) people cooking in your booth. Booths can be shared with no more than 2 teams cooking 2 different recipes, but each team must pay the registration fee and both entrants can be considered for judging.
2. Participants must be on site, set up, and prepared to cook by 7:30 am. Entrants may not break down their display before the Harvest Festival ends at 3:00 pm. Security will be on-site if you would like to set up the night before, at your own risk. The Veneta-Fern Ridge Chamber of Commerce (VFRCC) is not responsible for any theft and/or damaged item(s). Contestants will be assigned a space the day before the event.
3. Contestants must provide the following: overhead pop-up canopy, heating device such as a camp stove and/or grill, propane, garbage can/sack, cooking and cutting utensils, table and chair, coolers, and ice for refrigeration, a 145° food thermometer, ladle or scoop for serving bowls or cups and soap & water for washing hands and cleaning up of your area.
4. Contestants are required to provide approximately 4-5 gallons of prepared chili, cooked on-site. This will be used for selling to patrons of the Harvest Festival. Proceeds will go to fundraising for Mid Lane Cares. People’s choice voting stops at 2:00 pm OR when the first booth runs out of chili whichever comes first.
5. No electrical service is available. No running water will be available.
6. Chili is defined as any combination of ground, chopped or cubed meats, together with spices and seasonings along with tomatoes, onions, peppers, beans, and liquids such as broth. You may enter meatless, bean-less, vegetarian, chicken, or turkey chili. Sausage, either fresh or smoked, is considered meat for this cook-off.
7. All chilies must be cooked on-site. Prepared (canned) tomatoes and (canned) beans will be allowed. All other ingredients must be fresh and un-chopped. No prepared (packaged) seasonings are allowed. Any entry found to contain such items will be immediately disqualified from judging.
8. Your booth name should be prominently displayed; feel free to showcase your business if you are representing a business or company. Please also provide large signage of the type of chili and heat intensity. Blackboards/dry erase boards are suggested. We strongly encourage harvest/chili decorations, anything else that inspires you! There will be a prize for the Most Creative Booth!
9. At no time should you leave your cook stove and cooking chili unattended. This is for safety, sanitary and integrity reasons.
10. There are no free samples for Harvest Festival patrons.
11. The person signing up for the contest must have an Oregon Food Handlers Card.