FRONT PORCH

Neal Communities, Southwest Florida’s premier, private homebuilder, was a $10,000 sponsor of the 2024 Parrish Heritage Day Parade & Chili Cook Off Festival, which was held Saturday, March 9, at the Florida Railroad Museum.

The family friendly parade and festival are held annually by the Parrish Civic Association and The Parrish Foundation. The celebration and fundraiser support the Foundation’s efforts in the community for beautification and events, as well as a fund to build a community center. For a $10 ticket, attendees were able to taste chili from 24 competing teams, while enjoying live music, arts and crafts displays and activities for all ages.

The chili-cooking teams bring in all of their own supplies, cook everything from scratch on site, and serve their chili creation to the judges and attendees. The Neal Communities team, the “Neal Hot Chili Peppers,” came in Second Runner-up this year.

“I’m really competitive,” said Jennifer Joslin, a design gallery manager for both Neal Communities and Neal signature Homes. Her husband, Karl, serves as the head chef, and six other Neal employees rounded out the team. The first year the Neal team participated, they won First Runner-up. Last year, they won the People’s Choice award, which Joslin considers “the real winner.”

“This is my third year being involved, and we wanted to be the grand champions this year,” Joslin said. Although they didn’t take first place as hoped, the team still had fun. “This is a great event and a way to give back to the community. I think there were more than 5,000 people there, and they were all lined up at our booth. The people of Parrish just love it, and it’s for a good cause.”

Neal Communities has supported this event and The Parrish Foundation for many years, with past donations totaling more than $52,000. With a core belief that “Where You Live Matters,” Neal Communities has given more than $8 million to local charities throughout Southwest Florida and is committed to the communities where they live, work and build.

In Parrish, Neal Communities is currently building and selling homes in Canoe Creek and Wildleaf at North River Ranch. Silverleaf, also located in Parrish, has recently sold out.