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In 1996, Syracuse native Carol Simson first started the Thornden Park Chili Bowl Festival. Almost three decades later, she is still finding new people within her community to connect with over chili and cornbread.

“The best part about the chili festival is the community,” Simson said. “I feel like I know everyone, and I leave here with new friends.”

The 26th annual Thornden Park Chili Bowl Festival on Sunday drew families and friends from around the park to enjoy homemade root beer, live music and, of course, chili. Volunteers from the community and members of Alpha Phi Omega — one of Syracuse University’s community service fraternities — served food and sold raffle tickets. All the proceeds went to the Thornden Park Association.

After Simson took an entrepreneurial course that gave participants $2,000 in startup money, she decided to use that money to fund an annual festival.

At the festival, a wide array of chili was served. The Syracuse Chili — inspired by the Syracuse community — included beer from Middle Ages Brewery, sauce from Dinosaur BBQ and sausage from Gianelli Sausage. Another chili, the “Field House Chili,” aims to be the ultimate comfort food, and the Vegetarian/Vegan Chili is made from red beans.

Local chef Billy-Brendan Ginty cooked all the chili at the festival, including his recipe, “Chef Ginty’s Chicken Chili,” which was created specifically for this event.

This year’s festival drew visitors of all ages. Kids could get their face painted and play corn hole, while other visitors played on the disc golf holes set up around the park. By connecting the community, even in winter conditions, the event gives neighbors a chance to reconnect during a time when many people stay inside, community member Peter Ensminger said.

“I always love to see my neighbors come out to the festival. Living up here, it can be easy to just stay inside in the winter, but this event always brings the community together,” Ensminger said. “It’s always good to see my neighbors I haven’t seen in a while.”

Ensminger, who has brewed root beer for the chili festival for more than a decade, does not live in the Westcott area, but wants to give back to the park he uses almost everyday to walk his dog. This feeling of thanksgiving, along with the savory smells and flavors, was saturated in the Thornden Field House, said Joe Driscoll, a Syracuse common councilor and musician who performed at the event.

Community members gathered in Thornden park for chili and games along with live music from Joe Driscoll. Maxine Brackbill | Asst. Photo Editor

Driscoll sang and played guitar for classic songs by Rolling Stones, The Beatles and The Jackson 5 at the festival. Driscoll, who has been coming to the festival since he was a teenager, said the TPA’s work is vital for the upkeep of Thornden Park.

“This is really a very unique park, in that while the city does take care of it, the neighborhood takes care of it a lot more,” Driscoll said. “So this organization is really amazing in the amount of work and maintenance they do to keep this place going and keep it beautiful.”

The chili festival is a large source of income for the TPA, community member Dale Avers said. Driscoll said the funds are put back into the park through new renovations and maintenance.

The funding also goes into cultural organizations that use Thornden Park to house their groups. Shakespeare at the Park, Aquathon and local football teams all use Thornden to come together with their community, Westcott resident Alex Jackson said.

Having a park that brings together the diverse communities around Thornden is a special thing, Driscoll said. The festival exemplifies the importance of the strong neighborhood bonds within the Westcott community, he said.

“(The community) is the thing I love most about growing up in Syracuse on the east side,” Dirscoll said. “I traveled a lot for music over the years, and this is a rare thing in the world to have so many different cultures and languages and economic backgrounds and ethnic backgrounds, all hanging out in a two-block radius.”

Published on March 6, 2023 at 12:15 am