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Rotary Club Chili Open draws 400
COITSVILLE
Saturday’s snowstorm had laid down a good 5 to 6 inches of fresh powder by midday at Bedford Trails Golf Course.
Light and fluffy, it wouldn’t be interfering too much with their swings.
Wet, heavy stuff would have been bad. Don’t even talk about rain and mud, and fortunately, they dodged the bitter cold weather of just a day earlier.
The sixsome from Hubbard haven’t let the weather stop them. They’ve teed off at Poland Rotary Club’s chilly Chili Open for the past three years.
Michael Hagyari, Josh Carano, Dan Vogelsong, Michael Vargo Jr., Ryan Caesar and Chris Vargo do it for the fun.
“There’s no football on in the dead of winter,” said Michael Vargo.
“It’s better than sitting home watching TV,” said Caesar.
They also come out, they said, because it’s for a good cause. The Rotary Club will support 17 local community organizations through this year’s proceeds. About 400 people had signed up, paying $25 each to participate, and the turnout packed the clubhouse before the 10 a.m. start, said Rotary Club President Daral Brett.
By 1 p.m., the clubhouse and restaurant were still packed.
People ate chili donated by Wendy’s and sausage sandwiches donated by Nemenz IGA.
There also were doughnuts, pizza, beer and soft drinks.
Just outside in a heated tent, the Chub Scouts, a local band that plays a lot at Smokin’ Gun Saloon on Market Street in North Lima, was warming up as loud as it could to draw people out.
“You can’t beat it for $25,” Brett said proudly. “Eat, golf and partake in a few adult beverages.”
It was the Chili Open’s 30th anniversary, he said. The day also included a chili-eating contest, door prizes and a raffle.
The club, he said, is small, with 35 members, but “does a fabulous job.”
“We meet every Wednesday at noon at Alberini’s Restaurant on [U.S. Route] 224,” he said, adding that prospective members are welcome.
Out on the golf course, the Hubbard group continued to play their second nine.
They had played their first nine in the morning, sat out for 45 minutes, ate and watched the chili contest, then it was back to business.
The “18 holes” were arranged on a small part of the course not far from the clubhouse — not many people realize you don’t do the whole course, they said, agreeing that would be grueling.
But it’s still not easy.
It’s hard to gauge the distance of the balls, which are day-glo green and attached to ribbons to make them easier to find. Walking through the deep snow is difficult, and there was some talk of tennis-racket snowshoes for next year.
They’ve managed to cope in clever ways like that.
A small, purple child’s sled, for example, became the beer/golf-club sled.
“We are the innovators of the sled,” said Michael Vargo.
“But the good thing is, we didn’t have to bring a cooler of ice,” said Vogelsong.