Chili cook-off returns to Suffield during weekend Summer Bash

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on June 25, 2025.

newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com

On Saturday the Suffield Community Association is once again hosting its annual Summer Bash that includes a chili cook off, free barbecue, cake, a beer garden and children’s activities.

The event is a pre-Canada Day celebration held before the nation’s birthday to avoid any conflicts residents may have with other Canada Day events.

“So there’s a number of Canada Day events that military people get involved in, because we have a number of military retirees that live in our community and they take part in the Canada Day celebrations,” said entertainment director Nedra Drysdale. “We try to do ours as a pre-Canada Day so we don’t have a conflict.”

Activities kick off at 11 a.m. around the Suffield Community Hall and will include a free barbecue lunch as well as a Canada Day cake.

The tennis court will be turned into a beer garden and the community’s Youth Association will be hosting free activities including bouncy castles and a large hopscotch game that will take up a portion of the roadway.

Currently there are four competitors in this year’s chili cook-off, which is planned for noon inside the Community Hall.

“Two of them were in it last year and two of them are new,” said Drysdale. “So we don’t know how it’s going to turn out. Last year it was a lot of fun, we just pulled somebody out of the audience and they decided which chili they liked the best and ranked them one, two, three, four.

“Once that was done and prizes were given out, then anybody who wanted to eat chili, it was kind of help yourself.”

The chili competition is still open to competitors. Chili cooks are asked to reach out to Drysdale by phone at 250-888-7841 if interested in competing in this year’s Summer Bash.

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