A Heartfelt Thank You

by admin | Jun 14, 2023 | News

The weather cut the 11^th Annual Great Grill Off a little short, but it was still a record-breaking year. With rain forecasted for late afternoon, everyone was eager to get to the event early so they could get their delicious sliders before the rain set in. We are thankful for your dedication and support as well as your heart to see youth experience their worth in Christ.

Our 13 community grill teams, including eight returning teams and five new teams, impressed the crowd of 1400+ guests with their amazing sliders. It was our closest (and yummiest!) competition yet as the teams competed to win over the tastebuds and votes of the crowd for the best burger. The campus was filled with smiles as family and friends enjoyed inflatables, carnival games, train rides, tractor rides, and more. The energy was high, and everyone was enjoying an afternoon of great food and family fun!

At 2:45pm the votes were tallied and Lyfe Choices (defending champions) was crowned the 2023 Burger Champion with their “Spaghetti & Meatball Italiano Burger”. With only two votes between second and third place, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s took second place with their “Bleu ‘O’ Brady Burger” and Wooster Christian School took third place with their ”Honey BBQ Mac & Cheese Burger”. It truly was our closest competition yet! Congratulations and thank you to all our grill teams for their hard work and dedication.

As you can imagine, it takes a large team to bring this event together. Our day was a huge success due to the support of our generous sponsors and dedicated volunteers who helped us throughout the weekend. Special thanks to our event sponsors Powers Oil & Propane, Church of the Lakes, Ackerman Auto & Tire, Coblentz Bros., Inc, Lehman’s, Mennonite Mutual Insurance, The Commercial & Savings Bank, J&J Auto, Krupp Moving & Storage, Classic Vacuum, The Fredericksburg Church of Christ, and Village Catering Company; Tri-Village Christian Church, Discover Christian Church, and Whitaker Myers Insurance Group in Mansfield, OH for providing volunteers before and during the event; Mohican Church of the Brethren and Putt-N-Stuff for providing tents; Sysco for providing beef; Frito-Lay for providing chips; SmithFoods for providing ice cream; Buehler’s; RiseFM; Discount Drug Mart; Central Fire/EMS Department; and to our numerous day-of volunteers and all our community grill teams!

Thank you for joining us for delicious food and for your donations to help hurting children experience safety, connection, and healing. It was wonderful to see all of you for the 11^th Annual Great Grill Off. Remember, it’s not just about the burgers, it’s about our awesome kids!

Enjoy the photo gallery for a taste of the Grill Off and we hope to see you next year. Save the date for the second Sunday in June — Sunday, June 9, 2024.