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The Texas Men’s State Chili and Barbecue Championships have been scheduled for Saturday, March 27 at the Blanco County Fairgrounds in Johnson City. This will be the seventh annual edition of the event to be held in Johnson City. The chili cook-off will be sanctioned by Chili Appreciation Society International (CASI) and will qualify the top cooks for the Terlingua International Chili Championship. The barbecue cook-off is sanctioned by the Lone Star Barbecue Society and will qualify the winner to cook in the Kansas City championship.

These State events are held to support Johnson City and North Blanco County charities and non-profits. Thousands of dollars have been donated to local causes through the efforts of the cook-offs.

Last year, an "open beans" contest was added to the cooking competitions and a new domino tournament was held. This year, there will also be competition in "hot wings". The public is invited to join the fun as competitors or judges.

For the second year, a business and civic organization chili competition will be held. Last year, the inaugural edition of this competition was won by Bambi Haley, representing the Johnson City Woman’s Civic Club. The chili’s were judged by a panel of former international champions. All Johnson City businesses and civic groups are challenged to step up and see who makes the best chili in town.

The day’s activities will feature fun for the whole family, assorted vendors, food, fun, competition, and musical performances by Dean Strickland and Zero Skills, Inc. Plan to attend as a cook, a judge, or just to have fun.

Vendor fees are waived for local non-profits. For more information concerning this years events, please call Alan Dean at 512-567-2835. For more detailed info concerning CASI go to its web site (www.chili.org).