BANGOR, Maine — After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Bangor Fire Department's Chili and Chowder Cook-Off is returning to the Hollywood Casino Thursday night.
About 25 professional and amateur cooks are competing in the cook-off this year. All proceeds will benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).
Entry costs $10 per person for all-you-can-eat chili and chowder.
Three awards will be handed out at the end of the night, the people's choice award, the firefighters' choice award, and the judges' choice award.
Jared Bowden, the Bangor Professional Firefighters MDA committee chair, said the department is excited to be bringing back the fundraiser this year.
"One of the best parts about doing this fundraiser and being such a big part of the MDA community is over the past 5-10 years we've started to see really huge leaps and bounds in the research that's gone into this. And they brought almost a dozen new drugs to market to help fight these diseases, so hopefully, within another decade or two, we'll be all done with this fundraising because we'll have cures for all of them," Bowden said.
The event is from 6-9 p.m.
Bowden said the department has a goal of raising about $5,000 for the MDA this year. He added there will be other events coming up throughout the year to continue to support and raise money for this organization.
