Were there two Chili Bowls at Serb Hall on Sunday?

There was the wonderful event described in the JS that helped raise money for Second Harvest.

They came, they stirred, they mopped their brows. They went back for seconds.

It was a big chili party on a frigid day, but this was no warm-up for next week’s Super Bowl. And anyway, who cares about the Super Bowl? The Packers aren’t in it.

But you still have to eat, and so hundreds turned up Sunday afternoon for the third annual Chili Bowl at American Serb Hall, billed as Milwaukee’s biggest chili cookoff. More than 25 restaurants offered more than 60 kinds of chili (steak, vegan, martini-infused), and a chance at the coveted Golden Ladle, awarded by popular vote for favorite chili.

Then there was the event at Serb Hall that I attended. There was a crowd, as the JS reported, but the crowd I was in was way, way, too large for the room. Even moving was difficult, much less actually getting to the chili. Crowds of standing people formed a box around the fully-occupied tables in the center of the hall. If there had been a fire, there would have been a disaster. The place was just too crowded.

We were lucky in that we got there about 2 p.m. or so and actually were able to get some chili. I got four samples of the eight I paid for. We took a break from the chili lines because the crowd was so overwhelming. My sister told me that an employee of a participating restaurant expressed some dismay and displeasure at the underwhelming planning that went into the event.

Last year the crowd was not nearly as big, we were told, but advance ticket sales this year should have given a clue as to what was on hand. When we went back into the hall about 3 p.m., the chili was essentially gone. One restaurant was promising more in 20 minutes. The crowd was leaving, though. Too bad for anyone who paid for their ticket in advance but didn’t get to Serb Hall until after 3 p.m.  for this event that was supposed to last until 5 p.m.

It’s great that it was such a financial success, as surely it was. But it would be even nicer if it had been a success for the people who attended, even for those laggards who got there after 3 p.m.