Cloudy skies during the evening with areas of fog developing after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds light and variable..

Cloudy skies during the evening with areas of fog developing after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds light and variable.

Thor and Odin pull a sled during the oxen pull at the Bondville Fair on Friday. 

A mother and daughter dodge raindrops at the Bondville Fair on Friday. 

A judge cuts slices of pie for tasting during a contest at the Bondville Fair on Friday. 

Angela Tyler of Charleston, S.C., gets ready to judge pies at the Bondville Fair on Friday.

A team of oxen strains to complete a full pull during the oxen pull contest at the Bondville Fair on Friday. 

A woman walks under an umbrella during the Bondville Fair on Friday. 

Thor and Odin pull a sled during the oxen pull at the Bondville Fair on Friday. 

A mother and daughter dodge raindrops at the Bondville Fair on Friday. 

A judge cuts slices of pie for tasting during a contest at the Bondville Fair on Friday. 

Angela Tyler of Charleston, S.C., gets ready to judge pies at the Bondville Fair on Friday.

A team of oxen strains to complete a full pull during the oxen pull contest at the Bondville Fair on Friday. 

A woman walks under an umbrella during the Bondville Fair on Friday. 

BONDVILLE — For the moment, the brand-new plaques on the wall of the Bondville Fair’s venerable Floral Hall hailing the winners of its chili cook-off and pie baking contest have yet to be engraved with the names of winners.

But the results are in — thanks to a panel of judges who, utensils in hand, reinvigorated an agricultural fair tradition at the state’s oldest continuously operating agricultural fair.

An early afternoon thunderstorm temporarily brought the rides to a halt, as well the oxen-pulling competition on the track. The heavy downpour made the dunk tank temporarily redundant and inundated sections of the grounds.

But inside the Floral Hall, Jon Adelson, William Chmielewski, Stephan Fowlkes, Bill Cook and Travis Dobson were readying their utensils — and contemplating which of three crockpots full of meat and spices would take the blue ribbon. (Dinner first, then dessert.)

There was more pie than chili. “This is more pie than I eat on an average afternoon,” Adelson joked.

His wife, Mary Beth Adelson, was at the fairground entrance earlier, selling T-shirts and hats with the fair’s new logo. Seeing the spread of food her husband had been enjoying, she acknowledged a twinge of jealousy.

“I do think I got the raw end of the deal. I’ve been folding T-shirts, and he’s been tasting food,” she cracked.

Earlier, as she arranged shirts and hats, Mary Beth Adelson said the Bondville Fair is “something you look forward to all year long.”

“The fair is something people from all over the place, not just from town,” she said. “It’s easy to let your kids run around and have a good time here.”

As the rain came down and the judges readied their spoons, Fowlkes said he was looking for “chiliness.” Adelson took it a step further, saying he was pursuing “the spiritual chiliness of it.”

The judges didn’t talk among themselves as they tried the chili, out of concern that they’d influence each other’s thinking. While sour cream and shredded cheese were available, most of the samples were savored as presented.

Because facts are important, I also tried all three. The first was a fine meat and bean mix, but a bit mild for my taste. The second had more chili powder and cumin in the flavor profile, and also featured macaroni as an interesting twist — a good idea for winter nights to come.

The third, however, was meat and meat alone (which residents of Texas would tell you is the only true recipe). It was a deep brown and the ingredient card noted it featured brown sugar, cinnamon and cocoa.

The judges gave that third chili, by Mike Eisner of Melville, N.Y., the blue ribbon.

Eisner, who visits Southern Vermont with his sons Parker, 13, and Brandon, 10, every year, said the spice blend was “trial and error.” He said Parker is “a bit of a chilihead” and helped him attain the right blend of seasonings.

“The brown sugar and cinnamon go together. The cocoa goes in a different direction,” Eisner said. “The heat got a little hot so I put in a little extra sugar to cut it a little.”

How did Eisner get into making chili? “I went to college in Michigan, and it was cold,” he said.

The pie contest required a new panelist: Angela Tyler, of Charleston, S.C., tagged in for Cook, a middle school band teacher from New Jersey, as he had to abstain for health reasons.

Awaiting the judges were several kinds of pie — berry, peach, apple, chocolate, pumpkin and zucchini. The winner will be announced at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

Dobson, who co-owns Starry Sky Homestead Farm, comes from a cooking background, and he gave the pies careful consideration.

“I can tell which crusts were blind-baked, and which are and aren’t homemade,” he said, adding that he hoped to reward pies with homemade crust for the additional effort.

The fair runs through Sunday, with rides, tractor and truck pulls, live bands, a quilting hall and plenty of food for sale. For more information, see BondvilleFair.org.

Greg Sukiennik covers government and politics for Vermont News & Media. Reach him at gsukiennik@benningtonbanner.com.

Greg Sukiennik has worked at all three Vermont News & Media newspapers and was their managing editor from 2017-19. He previously worked for ESPN.com, for the AP in Boston, and at The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Mass.

Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.