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Jason Brown, 31, looks like a racer. His gear — jacket, chest shield, helmet, and knee and elbow pads — suggests he might drive a race car or a motocross bike. But Brown's racing vehicle of choice is a riding lawnmower.

Brown, of Clements, was in Laurel on Saturday to participate in the city's first Lawn Mower Races and Chili Cook-Off fundraiser, held at the Laurel Community Center Athletic Field on Cypress Street. The Laurel Citizens' Police Academy and the Laurel Fourth of July Committee split the proceeds from the event, which drew about six chili cooks, 50 racers and 270 people. The final tally raised was not immediately available.

Laurel resident Scott DeClemente said he attends about two chili cook-offs each year in other parts of the state but the lawnmower races were a new experience.

"They're very quick," DeClemente said. "It's not mowing your lawn."

To become race-ready, lawnmowers must have their blades removed and their frames reinforced, Brown said. They also sport rebuilt engines and transmissions — necessary modifications for getting a lawnmower to go up to 80 miles per hour.

Brown, who has been racing lawnmowers for about three years, said he's used to all the questions that go along with his unusual hobby and has developed a foolproof response.

"You've got to come see it," he said. "It's kind of hard to explain."

Judging a chili cook-off is also something that can be hard to explain, said County Councilman Thomas E. Dernoga (D-Dist. 1), of Laurel.

Aroma, color, consistency and taste are the four most important considerations, said Dernoga, who was one of nine men selecting a winner for the blind judging portion of the cook-off. Cook-off attendees who purchased sample cups were also given a ballot to select their pick for the people's choice category.

After sampling chili from each of the six cooks, Dernoga said the taste of cup number 4 definitely stood out.

"I wanted to take it home with me," he said.

Jim Parker, owner of Hard Times Café, prepared the chili in cup number 4 and ended up winning the judges' portion of the competition. With the win, Parker advances to the Chili Appreciation Society International's annual competition in Terlingua, Texas.

The chili prepared by Pat Haag, deputy clerk to the Laurel City Council, won the people's choice contest. Four of the eight peppers she uses are grown in her own garden, Haag said, but the ratio of ingredients is as important as their source.

"I use one of everything," she said of the peppers and other ingredients in her recipe.

The idea to have lawnmower racing and a chili cook-off happen simultaneously in one place was mainly coincidental, said Laurel resident and community volunteer Clyde Williams.

"I figured with more people and more resources, we could actually get it off the ground and make it happen," he said.

Laurel resident Jan Able attended the lawnmower races with her daughter Angie Able and grandson Josh Carter. She said the event was a good way to get out and enjoy the end-of-summer weather.

"It's a beautiful day and everybody's enjoying watching the races," she said.

E-mail Caitlin Moran at cmoran@gazette.net.