MOHAVE COUNTY – The MCC Bighorn Booster Club is giving community members a taste of tailgate action in preparation for the 2024 soccer season, marking a historic first for the county. The Inaugural Bighorn Chili Cook-Off not only gives participants the chance for cash prizes and event-goers a day of phenomenal food from throughout the county, it’s set to fundraise for the College’s first season in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, marks the date of the inaugural event, set for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Havasu Riviera Marina, 2067 Havasu Riviera Pkwy., in Lake Havasu City. Admission to the event costs $25 per person and includes chili tasting, and access to the beer garden, vendor booths, tug of war and the kid’s zone.
Cooks from all throughout the county are signed up to compete for a chance at prize money and the opportunity to take that competition to the next level at the International Chili Society’s World Champion Chili Cook-Offs.
Cooks will vie for first, second and third place in three categories including Traditional Red, Homestyle and Chili Verde. Winners will walk away with $1,000, $500 and $250, respectively, with the top performers in each category making the cut for the next installment of the International Chili Society’s World Champion Chili Cook-Offs in 2024.
Winners of each category at the World Championship earn the title of World Champion, along with combined prize money totaling $100,000.
“Athletics draw widespread attention to college campuses, while capturing the attention of prospective students and athletes,” says MCC Booster Tina Stocking. “Athletics bring local and national stakeholders to schools, improving the surrounding school system. This is going to be a great event that will benefit the entire community within our tri-state area.”
Mohave Community College is set to field two soccer teams in the NJCAA come 2024, both Men’s and Women’s squads. Player recruitment is well underway, with Head Coaches Camilo Valencia and Cynthia Cervantes working to secure talent at local, national and international levels.
Continued fundraising also helps to ensure the athletic program’s success, with Boosters hoping that successful results could lead to additional sports programs coming to the College.
As the number of participants and ticket sales soar, there remain opportunities for businesses and organizations to get in on the ground floor of the event as sponsors.
For more information on the event, or to purchase tickets or participate in the competition, go to https://www.mccbighornchilicookoff.com/, or contact (928) 733-7664 or tina@azmarketingsolutions.info. For more information on sponsoring the event, contact tina@azmarketingsolutions.info.
