Welcome to the Amherst Lions Club Website!
The New Hampshire State Police recently accepted 50 pillowcase kits from the Amherst Lions Club. Each kit contains a specially handmade pillowcase and a small stuffed animal for the troopers and officers to use to distract a child during a stressful situation such as a vehicle accident. Or it can be used to store possessions when a child must be removed from a difficult situation. Each pillowcase is washed and carefully inspected after construction and the stuffed animal is steamed cleaned and inspected before enclosed in plastic for ease of handling. In the photo, Trooper Jordan Kopko accepts the kits from Lions Joan Ferguson (left) and Linda Ribolini (right) at the NH Sate Police Headquarters in Concord, Feb. 21. Since the program began, nearly 500 kits have been distributed to local law enforcement and transient housing charities. Contact the Lions at amherstlionsclub@gmail.com for more information on the program.
Our 5th Annual Fire & Ice Chili Cook-off
and Ice Cream Social was a sucess!
A Tale of Three Chili's
The three winners of the 5th Annual Amherst Lions Club Fire & Ice Chili Cook-off agree on two things: the thoughtful mix of ingredients makes for a complex flavor that people want to come back for more and the recipe should have a core element that is continuously modified for better flavor and texture.
"Chili is very much an American staple; I can remember making it with my Mom," said Dave Mielke, co-owner of Smokehaus Barbeque, "And our chili evolved into something more to my taste and the core component of the barbeque business."
As voted by attendees, Smokehaus was named Best Restaurant Chili, while the Merrimack Lions Club (Adam Jump) received the Best Lions Club Chili title and two sisters, Audrey and Abigail Harbold, won Best Individual Chili at the Feb. 7 event.
The Harbold recipe included not only beans, beef and turkey; but cumin, tumeric and a touch of dark chocolate among its ingredients. "Hot lemon pepper brings out the ingredients' profile," added Tanja Owen, aunt to the Harbolds and who watched over the making of the chili.
The Merrimack Lions chili's flavor, made by Adam Jump, is a combination of locally grown spices and herbs; slow cooking; and a 35-year-old recipe from the former Michele's Diner with an added modern flair. "Five hours of slow cooking beef cheeks," said Jump, "produces a dark, heavy broth that is perfect for chili." And when you know the origin of the ingredients -- in this recipe, it's Milford's Burnscroft Farm herbs and spices -- you are confident of quality, said Jump.
Mielke wanted the "Smokehaus Brisket Chili" to be a fully smoked chili, so the restaurant chili recipe took 30 hours to smoke the pork, chili beans and beef, along with smoked spices paprika and chipotle pepper.
All agreed that a bit of showmanship helped gain votes. "We had to persuade people we actually made it," said Audrey who is the younger of the 10 and 8-year-old sister duo, "But it (the event) was a lot of fun, so I forgot about winning." She said the first person to try "The Hot Chili" thought it was so good he started telling others about it. She added that they plan to make next year's entry not only better, but they'll add a bit of fun into the presentation.
Jump said that adding a bit a color to the serving -- a bit of freshly cut scallion with melted cheese -- drew attendees' attention to the Merrimack Lions' "Roaring Chili."
Success, said Mielke, is family participation in food preparation and presentation. "My son Brennon, who is 10, is very interested in what I do. So after school, he joined me because he wanted to help out."
All four intend to defend their titles at next year's Fire & Ice, set for Feb. 5, 2021. This year featured 17 entries, including five area Lions Clubs and two restaurants. Attendees were treated to entertainment by the Amherst Middle School Jazz Band and Ukulele and Theater groups; Souhegan High School FIRST Robotics; and balloon sculpture by Krickey the Clown. Free eye screenings resulted in two significant findings. The Lions use the fund-raiser to help local charities including sight and hearing programs as well as needs-based scholarships.
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Feel free to browse around and see what we're all about.
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Amherst Lions Club 2020 Tier 1 Sponsors
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