Post Messenger Recorder -

On February 18th, two of the area’s longest serving service organizations, the Kiwanis and Belleville Boy Scout Troop 61, will join forces for the second ever All You Can Eat Chili-Taco Bar and Travelogue.

For 30 years, the Kiwanis have warmed the stomachs of area residents on cold February Sunday afternoons with a bowl of chili followed by a tour of the some of the world’s most interesting places with knowledgeable guides as your hosts. The Kiwanis have provided hundreds of area students with scholarships over these last 30 years with funds raised by the chili dinner.

For almost 50 years, the Boy Scouts main fundraiser was their famous pancake breakfast. Over these 50 years, thousands of area residents have filled themselves on pancakes and sausage raising funds that allow our area scouts to go camping, learn life skills and benefit the community with dozens of Eagle projects that have beautified our area.

The Scouts and the Kiwanis group decided to get together to discuss a joint venture in 2016. The amount of work it took for the Kiwanis to run the Travelogue and Chili Dinner was getting daunting and there are now a number of competitive pancake breakfasts around the usual Scout Pancake breakfast date in March. It was decided that this would be a unique opportunity for the boys to learn from and work with an older generation of citizens and to continue to provide a well-loved service to the community. To expand the reach of the chili dinner, we are also adding a taco bar to the menu.

So on February 18th, from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., plan on coming to the Belleville High School Commons for a meal and staying to watch our Travelogue on at 1:30 p.m., in the auditorium. All you can eat meals are $9.00 and we are offering quart size jars of chili for take home.

The Kiwanis and the Boy Scouts Troop 61 would like to thank Burreson’s and Taher for their generous donation and the School District of Belleville for the use of the facility.