MANSFIELD – If you’re looking for a weekend filled with good food and live entertainment, look no further than Park Avenue West on Saturday.
The fifth-annual Shriner’s Chili & Wing Cook Off will be held on Saturday, June 9 on the Miracle Mile in Mansfield. The festival, which takes place on Park Avenue West in Mansfield, will kick off at 2 p.m. and last until 11 p.m.
Mike Miranda, a Shriner and owner of Miracle Mile Motors, said the goal of the festival is two-fold: providing a source of entertainment, and raising money and awareness for the Mansfield Shrine Club and the Shriners Children’s Hospital’s local transportation unit.
“The event might generate some money, but the biggest thing is it creates awareness,” said Miranda. “It’s making our phones ring from families that we can help. That’s the part that’s priceless: helping kids and attracting new Shriners.”
All proceeds raised at the Chili & Wing Cook Off will go to the Al Koran Shriners Hospital for Children Transportation Fund, used locally to help children receive the medical treatment they need. Last year, 2,300 people in attendance raised approximately $2,800 for the cause.
The core mission of the 22 Shriners Hospitals throughout the country is to care for children regardless of a parent’s means of payment. The two closest Shriners hospitals to Mansfield are in Erie and Cincinnati; the Mansfield transportation unit helps transport families to the appropriate facility and assists with lodging and food.
“We just want to take care of kids. At the end of the day, our main responsibility locally is transportation of those kids,” Miranda said.
The Chili & Wing Cook Off will feature contestants split into different categories. Judging the entries this year is a celebrity panel including Mansfield Mayor Tim Theaker, former mayor Lydia Reid, Col. Allison Miller from the 179th Airlift Wing, Richland County Commissioner Marilyn John, Mansfield Assistant Police Chief Keith Porch, Shellie Burgin from Avita Health System, Chris Hiner from Richland Bank, Tim Groff from Rumpke, and Jodie Perry of the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce.
In addition to the Chili & Wing Cook Off, other food options include food trailers offering desserts and ice cream, brats and Italian sausages, and brisket and pulled pork.
For more information about the event, visit the Mansfield Shrine Club’s Facebook page.
2:00 pm: Doors open to the Public
2:45 pm: National Anthem and Flag ceremony
3:00 – 4:00 pm: S’Velt (jazz/blues/classic rock)
4:30 – 5:30 pm: Jessica Hannan (country/rock)
6:00 – 7:00 pm: Departure (Journey cover/classic rock)
7:30 – 8:30 pm: Ninja Cowboy (county/rock)
9:00 – 11:00 pm: Red Ball Jets (current/classic rock/pop)
