The Taylorville Kiwanis Club honored their September “Community Heroes of the Month”, and heard about the upcoming Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest, their club’s weekly meeting on Tuesday at the Taylorville Moose Lodge.

Long-time chilli cookoff chair for Chillifest, Tom Calvert, shared how the event first got started in 1985. 

Since its inception in 1985, the Chamber’s Chillifest has been held in multiple locations before coming back to the Taylorville Square around 20 years ago.   

Chillifest is also a sanctioned cookoff event by the International Chilli Society, with Calvert being the long-time chair of the 2 days of I-C-S judging in chilli, verde, and salsa.  Chilli cooks from nearly a dozen states have competed for cash and an opportunity to cook in the World Championship.

Calvert added that the Chamber also cooks and serves chilli as a fund-raiser.  Last year, Chamber chilli went thru 40 cases of Bush Beans, 775 pounds of ground beef, and the chilli cooked weighed some 31-hundred pounds.  

Calvert also told Kiwanis members this year’s Chillifest October 7th and 8th will also include over 100 vendors, pageants, and 2 stages of entertainment both days.

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club also at their Tuesday meeting honored Steve (right) and Sheree (center) Craggs as their September “Community Heroes of the Month” for founding and operating the Furlove Charitable Resale Shop at the corner of West Main Cross and Webster.   Kiwanis member Adam Jeffrey (left) who nominated them, presented their certificate.  The shop’s goal is to raise over 400-thousand dollars for a badly needed addition to the Christian County Animal Shelter.  The Craggs’ opened the shop this summer and have already raised some 110-thousand dollars.

The public is reminded the Kiwanis Club’s final Drive-Thru Donation Days this year at the Miller Media Group parking lot, to benefit the Taylorville Food Pantry, is this Saturday from 8:30am to 1pm.   Non-perishable food and monetary donations for the Food Pantry are most appreciated as the need continues to grow.

And, don’t forget the annual Kiwanis Kids Days at the corner of West Main Cross and Webster, as well as at the 2 doors at Wal-Mart, on September 22nd and 23rd.   All monies collected will go toward local Kiwanis projects for children and youth.

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club is part of a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.  Weekly meetings are held Tuesdays at noon at the Taylorville Moose Lodge.  For information on the club, go to taylorvillekiwanis.com.