RUMFORD — Ghost peppers, considered the hottest peppers known to man, will be the key ingredient in the Dial 911 Charity Hot Wing Challenge on Oct. 9, a charity event to help local food pantries.
Rumford Police Sgt. Tracey Higley, organizer, noted that emphasis will be on the hot.
“Myself and Mountain Valley High School Music Director Mike Prescott, who I call the Pepper Professor, have grown ghost peppers, and we’ll be using those for the spicy ingredient — the hot sauce,” he said. “Our goal is to make this a food charity drive.”
Higley said the local Hannaford store is donating most of the wing preparation materials.
There will be six participants in the event, comprised of one contestant each from the Rumford and Mexico fire departments, Rumford and Mexico police departments, Med-Care Ambulance and Regional School Unit 10. Four of the known participants so far include Chris Brennick, RSU 10; Lawrence Winson, Rumford Police Department; Dean Benson, Mexico Police Department; and Jeremy Huston, Med-Care.
“Each of those groups is going to have a minimum $50 sponsorship,” Higley said. “So right off the bat, we have $300 to support the local food pantries.”
He said a big portion of the event is going to be run by the Mountain Valley High School Student Council. The challenge will take place in the end zone at halftime during the Falcons’ football homecoming game.
There will also be samples of the hot wing sauce available for fans to try at the football game.
For one dollar, or a can of food, not only can you vote on who you think will win, but you’ll also be eligible for a pair of $50 gift cards from two local businesses.
Donations and votes can be made to any of the six participating departments or schools, as well as at the football game.
How did Higley come up with the idea?
“I love hot food,” he said. “So I did a hot wing challenge at Buffalo Wild Wings, then I did another food challenge at Northern Outdoors.”
At the hot wing challenge, which is 6 minutes long, he said he consumed a dozen wings in one minute, 52 seconds. That’s less than 10 seconds a wing.
“I was thinking, it’s popular — it’s fun,” Higley said. “People might like to watch and see.”
Last year, the MVHS Student Council organized a school-led effort to raise $14,600 for the Good Shepherd Food-Bank. All of the donations raised went back to the community, including Rumford Elementary School, which has a Good Shepherd Food-Bank account and they were credited with that amount.
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