The Lions Club is gearing up to serve the best of Pickerington’s pizzerias with its annual Pizza Challenge at Combustion Brewery.
The second biggest community event of the year, the Pizza Challenge boasts an average of around 400 attendees every year who join in the fun to vote on Best Sauce, Best Crust, Best Cheese, Best Pepperoni, Best Specialty and the coveted Crowd Favorite.
Behind the scenes
Craig Turner
It takes a village to bring such a large community gathering to fruition. Luckily, the Pickerington Lions Club is nothing if not prepared. The Lions Club Pizza Challenge Committee is a group of dedicated club members who oversee the preparations for the Pizza Challenge, with planning beginning as early as July to ensure the challenge is the bestit can be.
Additionally, there is a team of more than 20 volunteers to help run the event, as well as a DJ from Capitol City Sound to get attendees in the pizza party spirit.
Local sponsors and vendors come out in droves to help support the event, one local business even going so far as to match both individual and business donations.
“We’ve got the one great sponsor, Capitol Fence, that’s local, and they usually put out a challenge to other businesses... And then if we got pizza places that can’t do it for scheduling reasons, they usually give us a donation, so we’ve got a really good supporting community,” says Lion’s Club Pizza Challenge Chair Craig Turner.
Friendly competition
Craig Turner
Craig Turner
Craig Turner
Craig Turner
The annual Pizza Challenge builds a sense of community not only through the attendees and volunteers, but also among the participating vendors.
“It’s all in the spirit of competition because these guys all know each other,” Turner says. “They’re all laughing and getting their little digs in on each other, so they like it.”
The competitive spirit of the challenge inspires pizzerias to bring out the best of the best for the community.
“We had to limit the specialty pizzas down to one (each) because we had one vendor bring in almost every one (they had). He was really into it,” Turner says.
Even though every pizzeria in the 2024 challenge left with an award, participating vendors find that the real incentive lies in the fulfillment of supporting their community.
“We try to reach out to the local ones, the favorites, but even the chain restaurants want to support the community. If they’re available, they most definitely will be partaking. Everybody’s more than willing to put in the time, volunteer the hours, provide the pizzas, so they have a good time,” Turner says.
Pizza for the people
Craig Turner
The Pickerington Pizza Challenge isn’t just a taste test. The Pizza Challenge holds special significance for the community’s veterans.
Each year, the Lions Club donates 100 percent of the event’s profit to three local veterans organizations – American Legion Post 238, Disabled American Veterans and Veterans Care Network.
These organizations provide essentials to veterans both in the community and the surrounding areas. They provide food, counseling services and even donations that help veterans with basic needs such as transportation.
“We’ve done tours of their facilities where they collect things from local companies... (and) returns on bikes that might have a scratch, they fix them up and send them out to veterans who need transportation with bikes,” Turner says. “They get donations from Walmart where labels on their strawberry jam didn’t quite stick, so they get (the jam), they set up volunteer hours, and they start boxing them up and sending them out.”
This community involvement hits close to home, as many volunteers and their families are impacted by the struggles that veterans may face after they no longer serve in the armed forces.
“We want to keep it local and see the benefit of our donation,” Turner says. “They’re all really grateful.”
Craig Turner
Pickerington proud
With such a strong community backing the Pizza Challenge and its cause, it’s no wonder the event has become an important Pickerington staple. “As a member of the Lions Club, I couldn’t be any prouder or more honored to help out (with) such a great community charity event with such a great cause, “Turner says. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it for what we do.”
Avery Gillis is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
