24685 State Route 37, Watertown N.Y.

13601 (JEFFERSON AND LEWIS COUNTIES)

P.O. Box 515, 3 Commerce Lane, Canton N.Y. 13617 (ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY)
808 West Broadway, Fulton N.Y. 13069 (OSWEGO COUNTY)
Phone: 315-788-0422 (JEFFERSON COUNTY) | 315-376-3777 (LEWIS COUNTY) | 315-714-2034 (ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY) | 315-714-9134 (OSWEGO COUNTY)

www.VolunteerTransportationCenter.org
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 10, 2021 Trisha Seymour, President
CONTACT: Jeremiah S. Papineau | 315-634-6611, ext. 120 | [email protected] Celia Cook, Vice President
Lloyd Hurlbut, Treasurer

Winners Announced for Special Edition

Jamie Ganter, Secretary
Drew Boulter
Makenzie Piatt
of Annual North Country Chili Cook-Off Scott Soules
Daphne Pickert
Kathy Webster
Jennifer Voss
P.J. DiFabion
Tim Ruetten
Jeff Wood
Ben Coe, Emeritus
Howie Ganter, Emeritus

VTC FOUNDATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jeff Wood, President
Jeany Danielsen, Vice President
Drew Boulter, Treasurer
Celia Cook, Secretary
Amy McEathron
Tim Sweeney
Nancy Spicer
Laurie Gleason
Blaine Campany
Sam Purington
Eric Tupper

VTC LEADERSHIP
Sam Purington,
Executive Director

CAPTION: L.E.A’S Diner in Heuvelton received the most votes in the North Country Chili Terra Thompson,
Cook-Off, winning this year’s People’s Choice Award. Seen here are owners Steven and Program Director (Jefferson-Lewis)
Tasha Bogardus with Jeremiah S. Papineau, Foundation Director and Director of Communi-
cations Volunteer Transportation Center, Inc. (VTC). Christine Richardson,
Program Director (St. Lawrence)

(WATERTOWN, NY) – The Volunteer Transportation Center, Inc. (VTC) has Doreen Salcido,
Program Director (Oswego)
announced winners of the 22nd Annual North Country Chili Cook-Off, an event held
in a new format this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jeremiah S. Papineau,
Foundation Director
L.E.A.’S Diner in Heuvelton received the most votes for the People’s Choice
Award and was declared the winner. Meme’s Diner in Felts Mills collected the most
donations, earning the Top Fundraiser Award.
“We’re at a loss for words,” said Steven Bogardus, who owns L.E.A.’S Diner with his
wife, Tasha. “We are shocked, honored and blessed to have received the most votes.”
“It was a great experience for us and we had a lot of fun with it,” he added. “We
can’t thank our family, friends and amazing customers enough for their support.”
 24685 State Route 37, Watertown N.Y. 13601 (JEFFERSON AND LEWIS COUNTIES)
P.O. Box 515, 3 Commerce Lane, Canton N.Y. 13617 (ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY)
808 West Broadway, Fulton N.Y. 13069 (OSWEGO COUNTY)
Phone: 315-788-0422 (JEFFERSON COUNTY) | 315-376-3777 (LEWIS COUNTY) | 315-714-2034 (ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY) | 315-714-9134 (OSWEGO COUNTY)

www.VolunteerTransportationCenter.org

Brandy Snyder, owner of Meme’s Diner, said she was delighted to be asked to participate and is very proud of
her customers and employees who made that participation a success, raising $560.
“My waitresses did such an amazing job selling
the chili products and explaining what we were rais-
ing money for and my customers never hesitated to
donate toward the cause,” said Ms. Snyder, who gave
credit to her cook, Patti Jones, for keeping their chili
stocked at all times, even coming in on her day off.
“It is very gratifying to see how our customers can
come together and support this cause.”
“We congratulate L.E.A.’S Diner and Meme’s
Diner for receiving their awards and thank all of the
28 restaurants in the tri-county area who participat-
ed,” said VTC Executive Director Sam Purington.
“Their enthusiasm really made this event a suc-
cess.”
“We’re very happy with the participation both
from the restaurants and from people in the commu-
nity,” said Jeremiah S. Papineau, Director of Com- CAPTION: Meme’s Diner in Felts collected the most donations
for this year’s North Country Chili Cook-Off, winning the Top
munications and Foundation Director for the VTC.
Fundraiser Award. Seen here is owner Brandy Snyder with Jere-
“We’re very pleased with how everyone seemed to
miah S. Papineau, Foundation Director and Director of Commu-
embrace the format for this special edition of the nications Volunteer Transportation Center, Inc. (VTC).
cook-off.”
The cook-off – typically held as a one-day event at the Dulles State Office Building in Watertown on the first
Saturday of February – is a fundraiser for the VTC to support transportation it provides for Veterans and their
families. This year, the event was held at participating restaurants in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties
throughout the month of February. The move was made in an effort to host the event in a way that would follow
New York State mandates and adhere to CDC guidelines.
This year’s North Country Chili Cook-Off focused only on the “Professional” award category and was held
in a “pub crawl” format, in which those wishing to sample and vote on their favorite entries could do so at partic-
ipating restaurants.
“The best part was seeing all the restaurants featured and all the different things each place did to participate.
I love to buy local, so to see this all throughout Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties was just so special,”
said American Legion Auxiliary Department of New York Leadership Chairperson Amy McEathron, who serves
as the event’s chairperson. “It is just amazing how the tri-county area came together to show their support for our
Veterans and their families.”
That support is even more important this year, Mr. Papineau said. The VTC has suspended its practice of
placing more than one client in a vehicle as a way to limit the spread of COVID-19. While a commendable safety
practice, it does come at an additional cost, he noted.
“With our suspension of combining rides, that leads to an increased cost for mileage reimbursement. That’s
 24685 State Route 37, Watertown N.Y. 13601 (JEFFERSON AND LEWIS COUNTIES)
P.O. Box 515, 3 Commerce Lane, Canton N.Y. 13617 (ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY)
808 West Broadway, Fulton N.Y. 13069 (OSWEGO COUNTY)
Phone: 315-788-0422 (JEFFERSON COUNTY) | 315-376-3777 (LEWIS COUNTY) | 315-714-2034 (ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY) | 315-714-9134 (OSWEGO COUNTY)

www.VolunteerTransportationCenter.org
because we’re assigning more than one driver for a trip that, in the past, we could assign to only one,” Mr. Papineau
explained. “While it’s an increased cost, we decided at the onset of the pandemic it was necessary for us to do our
part to limit the spread of the coronavirus.”
In addition to L.E.A.’S Diner and Meme’s Diner, the following restaurants participated in this year’s North
Country Chili Cook-Off: Gram’s Diner, Adams; Spook Hill Bar and Grill, Adams Center; The Dockside Pub,
Alexandria Bay; Sahara Restaurant, Carthage; The Church Street Diner, Carthage; Whistle Stop Tavern, Car-
thage; Zero Dock Street Restaurant & Bar, Carthage; River Bottom Bar & Grill, Clayton; Whiskey Jack’s, Con-
stableville; The Cottage Inn, Copenhagen; Josh’s Riverside Restaurant, Croghan; Montague Inn, Lowville; Tony
Harper’s Pizza & Clam Shack, Lowville; Boondocks Restaurant & Bar, Lyons Falls; River Valley Inn, Lyons
Falls; Nu Pier Restaurant, Sackets Harbor; The Cottage Bakery, Three Mile Bay; Tavern230, Turin; Flashback
Brewing Company, Watertown; Garland City Beer Works, Watertown; Mike’s Pig Pen, Watertown; Panera Bread,
Watertown; The Grille at Hilton Garden Inn, Watertown; Pearl Street Pub, Watertown; Pete’s Trattoria, Water-
town; and Tug Hill Hideaway, West Leyden.
Those businesses – combined with generous sponsorship –
raised approximately $28,000 for the VTC. The event typically
raises upwards of $40,000 in a normal year. However, due to the
constraints and challenges presented by the pandemic, Mr. Pap-
ineau said the VTC is quite proud of the results.
“The amount we were able to raise this year, thanks to all the
restaurants participating and our amazing sponsors, is something
for which we are very thankful,” said Mr. Papineau. “And, if we
were able to bring even a little extra business to these establishments that have been hurt during the pandemic,
that’s even better.”
Mr. Papineau gave credit to Ms. McEathron’s business, Independent Medical Evaluation Company in Car-
thage, for showing support that was “above and beyond” with generous donations of the majority of baskets for a
basket auction, which was a companion event for the cook-off. That event raised more than $700.
“We can never thank Amy or her business enough for all their support,” he said. “Year after year, her dedica-
tion and generosity help drive the success of this event.”
As for this year’s format?
“I love this format, I think it gives all the small businesses a way to showcase not only their chili but also their
entire menu to patrons that normally don’t visit their establishment,” said Ms. Snyder. “It also gives businesses a
chance to participate that wouldn’t normally be able to send their staff to the State Office Building for the entire
day.”
“We like this format,” said Mr. Bogardus. “Like many others, it’s hard to shut down for a one-day event. This
way, we could participate and be part of the fun.”
Would they each participate again?
“Absolutely, not only did my staff enjoy the experience but many of our regulars loved participating and see-
ing the success of the cook-off unfold,” said Ms. Snyder.
“One word. Absolutely,” said Mr. Bogardus.
 24685 State Route 37, Watertown N.Y. 13601 (JEFFERSON AND LEWIS COUNTIES)
P.O. Box 515, 3 Commerce Lane, Canton N.Y. 13617 (ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY)
808 West Broadway, Fulton N.Y. 13069 (OSWEGO COUNTY)
Phone: 315-788-0422 (JEFFERSON COUNTY) | 315-376-3777 (LEWIS COUNTY) | 315-714-2034 (ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY) | 315-714-9134 (OSWEGO COUNTY)

www.VolunteerTransportationCenter.org
Mr. Papineau noted the North Country Chili Cook-Off’s planning committee will soon begin to review plans
for next year’s event. They will consider again focusing on the pub crawl format or a hybrid model which would
include both this year’s format and the traditional event at the Dulles State Office Building.

The 22nd Annual North Country Chili Cook-Off is supported by “Underwriting Level Sponsors” Excellus
BlueCross BlueShield, Watertown Savings Bank, Stewart’s Shops/The Dake Family, Victory Promotions, United
Food Service Operators, WWNY-TV 7News/Fox28/MeTV, Tunes 92.5/Intrepid Broadcasting, Runningboards
Marketing, NNY360/Watertown Daily Times, and The American Legion Family.
Additional support comes from “Platinum Level Sponsors” Independent Medical Evaluation Company,
Price Chopper, Watertown Internists and Samaritan Medical Center; “Gold Level Sponsors” Lake Ontario Cattle
Company, Kinney Drugs Foundation, State CS Employee Federal Credit Union, Keller Williams-Amy Kenney,
Benefit Services Group, Advanced Business Systems, Knowlton Technologies, Rose & Kiernan Insurance, and
North Country Insurance Company; “Silver Level Sponsors” The ARC of Jefferson-St. Lawrence, Cheney Tire,
RBC Wealth Management, Alexandria Bay Post 904 SAL, Brownville Post 588 SAL, Carthage Area Hospital,
The Bonadio Group, DOCO Quick Print, Watertown Hearing Aid Center, Barrett Paving Materials, GYMO Ar-
chitecture Engineering & Land Surveying, GEICO Insurance Watertown - Mark Smith, Key Bank, Lake Ontario
Realty, American Legion Post 789 Auxiliary, and Slack Chemical Company; and “Friends of the Cook-Off Spon-
sors” CHJC, Hospice of Jefferson County and Bach & Company. Continuous support of the VTC by the following
organizations also made this event possible: Nephrology Associates of Watertown - Dr. Khalid Sindhu, Glenn &
Carol Pearsall Adirondack Foundation, Pratt Northam Foundation, United Way of Northern New York, Northern
New York Community Foundation, and the Northern New York Youth Philanthropy Council.

ABOUT THE VOLUNTEER TRANSPORTATION CENTER

The Volunteer Transportation Center, Inc. (VTC), established in 1991, drives thousands of miles each year
assisting community members in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties. Over the last 30 years, this essen-
tial non-profit organization has provided rides to health care appointments, grocery shopping, and other destina-
tions for residents.
In 2020, our volunteer drivers provided 24,926 charitable trips over 913,921 miles in Jefferson, Lewis and
St. Lawrence Counties. Of those miles, 404,009 originated in Jefferson County, 146,376 in Lewis County, and
363,536 in St. Lawrence County.
The staff, Board of Directors and volunteer drivers look forward to a time when transportation to community
activities and services is accessible to all North Country residents regardless of economic or specialized needs.
But for now the mission drives on — striving to provide transportation to health, wellness and critical needs des-
tinations utilizing volunteers and mobility management for anyone who has barriers to transportation.
For more information about how you can help the Volunteer Transportation Center, about its upcoming
events, or to become a volunteer driver, contact the agency in Watertown at 315-788-0422, in Canton at 315-714-
2034, or Fulton at 315-714-9134. To learn more, visit www.volunteertransportationcenter.org.