North Country Chili Cook-Off to
Return for 27th Year, Has Date Change

State Office Building Event Moves to March, Area Competition Dates Remain Same

(WATERTOWN, NY) — The Volunteer Transportation Center will host the return of its in-person portion of the Annual North Country Chili Cook-Off this Saturday, March 14. The event will be held at the Dulles State Office Building, 317 Washington St.

“We’re looking forward to being back at the Dulles State Office Building this Saturday,” said VTC Executive Director Sam Purington. “We continue to enjoy this new format for the cook-off between being at local restaurants and having our traditional in-person event. The community seems to love it, too.”

The cook-off — which will feature a mixture of amateur and professional chefs competing for prizes — will begin at 11 a.m., with an opening ceremony held at 12 p.m. Mel Busler of WWNY-TV 7News/Fox28 will again serve as master of ceremonies. Attendees will be able to sample chili from each of the teams competing in the event until 3 p.m. when awards will be presented. Each entry will be scored in various categories by a panel of local judges and attendees will be able to cast their ballots until 2:30 p.m. for the People’s Choice Award. Admission will be $6 for adults and $2 for children 12 years and younger. A family pass admission will be available for $15. This event is supported by Operation Yellow Ribbon, a volunteer-based committee that promotes visible signs of support for Soldiers and families. Therefore, military ID holders will receive a discount on admission. “We’ve got a great mix again this year, with first-timers and familiar faces,” said Jeremiah S. Papineau, Director of Communications and Foundation Director for the VTC. “We have a lot of fun with this event each year and it’s a great chance for the community to come out and have a great time.” This Saturday’s in-person event follows nearly a month a hybrid version of the cook-off that ran from Sunday, Feb. 1 to Wednesday, Feb. 25. The first three weeks of February consisted of a restaurant-to-restaurant format, seeing competition among participating restaurants and businesses in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties. The cook-off’s remote format again involved participating restaurants and businesses making available samples of their chili entries during regular hours of operation, with the public able to vote for their favorites. The format took the place of the in-person event in 2021 and 2022 and, beginning in 2023, was paired with the in-person event’s return. Restaurants that participated this included:

The Dockside Pub, 11 Market Street, Alexandria Bay

The Brick Oven Inn, 9595 Main Street, Beaver Falls

Hillbilly Inn, 35419 South Lake Road, Carthage

Jreck Subs, 210 State Street, Carthage

The Church Street Diner, 107 Church Street, Carthage

Zero Dock Street Restaurant & Bar, 130 Canal Street, Carthage

The Cottage Inn, 9794 State Route 12, Copenhagen

Silver Leaf Diner, 3231 U.S. Route 11, DeKalb Junction

Meme’s Diner, 31606 State Route 3, Felts Mills

Jake’s on the Water, 5726 State Route 56, Hannawa Falls

Jreck Subs, 7596 East State Street, Lowville

Lloyd’s of Lowville, 7405 Utica Boulevard, Lowville

Squishy’s BBQ & Catering, 6218 Number Four Road, Lowville

The Bateman Draft House, 7570 South State Street, Lowville

The Elm, 5422 Shady Avenue, Lowville

JJ’s on the River, 54 East River Street, Ogdensburg

The Whiskey Coop, 214 1/2 West Main Street, Sackets Harbor

Tavern230, 4173 West Road, Turin

Jean’s Beans, 259 Eastern Boulevard, Watertown

Jreck Subs, 1218 Arsenal Street, Watertown

Jreck Subs, 525 Mill Street, Watertown

Jreck Subs, 605 State Street, Watertown

Panera Bread, 21872 Towne Center Drive, Watertown

Pete’s Trattoria, 111 Breen Avenue, Watertown

The Grille at Hilton Garden Inn, 1290 Arsenal Street, Watertown

The Whiskey Coop, 133 North Massey Street, Watertown

Those who wanted to cast votes for their favorite entries in the remote format were able to do so in person by paper ballot or online through the VTC website. In addition, participating locations were again able to compete for the Top Fundraiser Award by collecting donations for the Volunteer Transportation Center Foundation. Winners of both awards will be recognized at the in-person event at the Dulles State Office Building this Saturday.

The North Country Chili Cook-Off — chaired by Amy McEathron, owner and president of Independent Medical Evaluation Company, Carthage — is a great opportunity to enjoy some amazing chili and raise funds for the Volunteer Transportation Center, specifically in its transportation of Veterans and their family members by dedicated volunteer drivers.

“We invite the community to come to the North Country Chili Cook-Off this Saturday to enjoy the chili and help us raise crucial funding for the VTC to transport our Veterans,” said Mrs. McEathron, who also serves as a representative of The American Legion Family, which founded the cook-off with the VTC more than 25 years ago. “The American Legion Family thanks the community for its support and we are so proud to be part of this event. We’re so thankful to everyone who has supported the cook-off, including our local Veterans organizations.”

The 27th Annual North Country Chili Cook-Off is supported by “Underwriting Level Sponsors” Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, Watertown Savings Bank, Stewart’s Shops, United Food Service Operators, Advanced Business Systems, WWNY-TV 7News/Fox28/MeTV, Tunes 92.5/Intrepid Broadcasting, NNY360/Watertown Daily Times, Victory Promotions, and The American Legion Family, in addition to many more sponsors.

Proceeds of the North Country Chili Cook-Off will benefit the Volunteer Transportation Center, which provides essential rides to health care appointments, grocery shopping, and other destinations for residents with no transportation alternatives. Funds raised through the cook-off are earmarked to provide transportation to Veterans and their family members, which make up roughly one-third of those transported by volunteer drivers through the VTC.

For more information about the 27th Annual North Country Chili Cook-Off, contact Mr. Papineau at 315-303-2590 or via email at jeremiah@volunteertransportation.org. Additional information is available on-line at www.volunteertransportationcenter.org/chili-cook-off.

ABOUT THE VOLUNTEER TRANSPORTATION CENTER

The Volunteer Transportation Center, Inc. (VTC), established in 1991, drives thousands of miles each year assisting community members in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties and beyond. Over the last 30 years, this essential non-profit organization has provided rides to health care appointments, food sources and other critical needs destinations for residents.

In 2024, volunteer drivers provided 25,478 charitable trips over 876,509 miles in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence Counties. Of those miles, 318,320 helped those in Jefferson County, 112,852 in Lewis County, and 445,337 in St. Lawrence County. That equated to approximately $438,255 in mileage reimbursement for our volunteers. That’s why the community’s help is so important. The staff, boards of directors and volunteer drivers look forward to a time when transportation to community activities and services is accessible to all North Country residents regardless of economic or specialized needs. But for now the mission drives on — striving to provide transportation to health, wellness and critical needs destinations utilizing volunteers and mobility management for anyone who has barriers to transportation.

For more information about how you can help the Volunteer Transportation Center, about its upcoming events, or to become a volunteer driver, contact the agency in Jefferson and Lewis Counties at 315-788-0422, in St. Lawrence County at 315-714-2034, or Western New York at 585-250-5030. Volunteers drive their own cars, set their own hours and receive mileage reimbursement but, more importantly, make a difference in the community. To learn more, visit www.volunteertransportationcenter.org.