Stillwater American Legion Wins Bloody Mary Battle

The results are in from the Stillwater Bloody Mary Battle.

The competition had seven competitors enter — Dan Tousignant, Ron Heart, Beth Peterson, Steph McCormack, Mark Everson, Timea (from the Legion), and Chris Bodell — and raised $970 in total from the event, Steph McCormack said.

The Legion won on best taste, Dan Tousignant won best presentation (the Bloody Mary man with a shrimp nose) and the Legion won best overall.

The Legion owners (Jesse & Paula Kurtz) decided they wanted to give their winning money to the Boys Scouts, but also wanted to acknowledge the two runner ups and allow them to each donate $250 to their charity of choice.

Mark Everson chose Valley Outreach, and Tousignant chose Habitat for Humanity.

The Legion was packed during the entire event, everyone talked about having a great time and they cant wait for next year, McCormack said.

"Next year we're going to have it later in the spring," she added, "so we can increase the volume. Many big plans are already in the talk for the next Bloody Mary Battle, we appreciate everyone who participated.

UPDATED FROM:

There's a Bloody Mary Battle going down this weekend at the American Legion in downtown Stillwater.

The competition is from 3-6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 16.

Organizers of the event are accepting late registrations for those who wish to compete. If that's you, you'll need to arrive at least an hour early.

The fee is $20.

Entrants should "prepare to serve lots of people," Stephanie McCormack said, "there is quite the buzz around town."

The cost is $1 per contestant to sample and vote, not to exceed $10. If there are seven competitors, it will be $7, but if there are 15 (for example), the cost will only be $10.

The money raised by the competition will be donated to a local charity of the winner’s choice, and the Legion will feature the winning Bloody Mary recipe for one year.

If you have any questions, contact Stephanie at stephmccormack@gmail.com.

UPDATED FROM: Jan 14 2013 4:51pm

What began as "trash-talk" between two friends a few years back will go down as a Bloody Mary Battle next month at the American Legion in downtown Stillwater.

Among friends, Mark Everson and Stephanie McCormack each have a reputation for making a mean Bloody Mary. So three years ago, their competitive spirits got the best of them, and a “Battle of the Bloodies” ensued.

Being that the competition was created on a whim, the first-annual event wasn't very organized, McCormack said. Lacking a formal vote, they each claimed victory.

The next year rolled around and they decided on a re-match. The battle would be decided on taste and appearance, and because the date always fell around Valentine’s Day, it was dubbed “My Bloody Valentine.”

Everson won taste. McCormack won appearance.

This year, Everson and McCormack have partnered with the American Legion and opened the competition to the public.

“We're looking for as many competitors as possible,” McCormack said. “This is something we hope will become a yearly tradition that can be a fun way to promote the community.”

INFO: The competition is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 16 from 3-6 p.m. at the American Legion. There will be a registration fee for those competing ($20); and a fee for taste testing/voting ($10).

The deadline for registering is Feb. 9. Competitors should bring the $20 entry fee to the Legion, where they will be given the official rules.

The money raised by the competition will be donated to a local charity of the winner’s choice, and the Legion will feature the winning Bloody Mary recipe for one year. 

“We're hoping this will grow every year,” McCormack said, “and keep raising money for our community, in a fun way.”