Residents attending this year's Chili Cook-off fundraiser in Bernardsville will have the opportunity to challenge "Vealtown Jessie", a mechanical gunslinger created for the event. Vealtown Jessie is a life-size robotic mannequin dressed as an old western villain that was designed and built by local residents over 40 hours. Guests can test their quick-draw skills against Jessie, being fitted with toy guns and holsters to take six shots at beating Jessie, with the best times recorded. The annual benefit for the Somerset Hills School District, now in its sixth year, raises money for student technology programs and attracted 700 people last year.

1. Thursday, March 12,2009
PAGE 8
'Gunslinger' will join
fun at Chili Cook-off
BERNARDSVILLE - In addition would quot;act the partquot; of a gun-
to sampling spicy food and danc- slinging outlaw.
ing to hot music, residents at- They spent several weeks and
tending this year's quot;Chili Cook- more than' 40 hours designing,
offquot; fund-raiser will get to test building, testing and bringing
their gun-slinging skills against, their idea to reality. quot;Vealtown
a mean mechanical outlaw. Jessiequot; was thus born.
quot;Vealtown Jessie':' a life-size Vealtown was the original
robotic mannequin dressed as name of Bernardsville going
an old-western villain, will back to Colonial times.
make his debut on Saturday, The interactive robot was fit-
Aprtl Ia.atthe annual benefit ted with an actuating arm, imi-
bash thrown by the Somerset tation pistol and sensors to both
electronically fire and sense be-
Hills Education Foundation
ing quot;shot.quot;
(SHEF).
. The popular social event will The construction presented
be held from 6 to 10 p.m. at the many challenges for the design-
Upton Pyne Estate in ers, who had to program a se-
Bernardsville. quence that allowed quot;Vealtown
Virtual horse racing will also Jessiequot; to randomly draw with-
be a new attraction at the cook- in zero to 20 seconds for each
shot.
off, which last year raised more
than $120,000 for-the Somerset During the event, guests who
Hills Regional School District. . want to challenge Jessie will be
. As usual, attendees will also fitted with a belt, holster and toy
get to sample chili prepared by pistol also fitted with an elec-
tronic firing mechanism. They
more than 20 chef contestants
competing for the quot;Best Chili in will have six attempts to beat
Jessie to the draw. Their best
the Somerset Hillsquot; honor. Mu-
sical entertainment this year times will also be recorded for
will be provided by the band, all guests to see and challenge
HoiPolloi. themselves.
Vealtown Jessie will add a
Limited tickets are available
ranging from $90 to $200 per per- new wrinkle to an already-popu-
lar event. Now in its sixth year,
son.
According to a press release the cook-off attracted an esti-
mated 700residents last year.
'from SHEF, the idea to create
quot;Vealtown Jessiequot; originated . SHEF is a non-profit organi-
one Saturday in January when zation whose mission is to pro-
mote and provide educational
the sons of Bernardsville resi-
opportunities for thebenefit of
dents Vijay Singh and Brent Residentsattending this year's quot;ChiliCook-offquot;fund-raiser at the Up-
Laurin got together to play. Somerset Hills school children.
ton Estate in Bernardsvillewill have a chance to challenge quot;Vealtown
In the last three years alone
The two dads came up with
Jessie,quot; a mecbanical gun-slinger created just for the occasion. The
SHEF has contributed more
the idea to design and build a
annual benefit for the Somerset HillsSchoolDistrictwillbe held from
fun and safe interactive' game, than $220,000 to student technol-
ogy in the district.
where guests could test their 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, April 18. For more information visit the Som-
quick-draw skills in an old west- erset HillsEducation Foundation website at www.shefnj.org. '
For more informationon the Chili
ern shoot-out setting.
Cook-off download invitation,
orto an
They decided the guests need-
ed a proper challenger that visitwww.shefnj.org.