Alton Main Street’s Chili Cook-Off and final Farmers and Artisans Market
ALTON - Alton Main Street will host their annual Downtown Chili Cookoff this weekend.
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From 12–3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, at FLOCK Food Truck Park and Bar, community members can enjoy chili while fundraising for downtown beautification. Alton Main Street Executive Director Sara McGibany expressed her excitement for the day.
“I had never attended a chili cookoff before I started organizing ours, and you would not believe what a hoot they are if you haven’t been,” she shared. “It is actually our biggest fundraiser of the year.”
The Downtown Chili Cookoff invites teams from across the Riverbend to make chili. Amateur and professional chefs compete to see who has the best recipe in town. Psychedelic Symphony will provide live music throughout the afternoon.
Attendees can vote for the People’s Choice winner, who will receive the coveted silver ladle and bragging rights. Judges will award $100 each to the best individual, organization, business and restaurant. An additional $100 will be awarded for the best decorated booth.
Admission to the Downtown Chili Cookoff costs $10 for adults and $5 for children. You will receive a chili sample from each team and can vote for the People’s Choice winner.
All proceeds go to Alton Main Street to support the organization’s beautification efforts. In addition to hosting events and offering business support, Alton Main Street maintains flower beds downtown and keeps the area clean. McGibany thanked the volunteers who do this work.
“It mainly helps fund our beautification projects. You look around and see the beautiful flower beds around our district. Those plants all cost money,” she explained. “We’ve got lots of people who roll up their sleeves and are willing to dig in the dirt to make it look inviting and beautiful downtown. We want to try to embellish that as much as humanly possible and make downtown feel like a place where you want to be.”
McGibany hopes many people come out on Oct. 18 to enjoy the Downtown Chili Cookoff and support Alton Main Street. The organization does a lot for the community, and they want to continue to support local businesses and people in the downtown district. The chili cookoff allows them to raise the funds they need to do so.
“We engage our community in the revitalization effort of your historic downtown,” McGibany added. “We do all kinds of fun events to bring people downtown to be entertained and enjoy shopping and dining. We do all sorts of beautification projects, like taking care of the flowers, painting murals, picking up litter. We also have lots of small business support that we offer to mom and pop shops. It’s our job to help them compete with the Amazons and the Walmarts of the world
For more information about the Downtown Chili Cookoff, visit the official webpage or the official Facebook event page. To learn about Alton Main Street and how to support them, check out their official website or their official Facebook page.
