The 10th Annual Fire & Ice Chili Cook-Off will be held in downtown Blue Ridge this Saturday, February 15.
The event brings award-winning chili recipes, ice sculptures and live music to Blue Ridge for a winter event that draws thousands of people to the downtown area each year.
“The money goes to the downtown business association and they use that money for Light Up Blue Ridge during the Thanksgiving holiday for Christmas and they use it for the Halloween night safe zone,” event coordinator Chris Martinez said. “It’s used for the community.
It goes back to the community.”
The event is sponsored by the Blue Ridge Business Association and Fannin County Chamber of Commerce and takes place from noon to 4 p.m. in the city park area of downtown Blue Ridge.
The event is free, however chili tasting cards are available for $10 each, which enables the card holder to sample the various chili dishes and vote for their favorite to determine the People’s Choice award winner. The tasting cards will be available from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. that day. All votes for People’s Choice must be submitted by 3 p.m.
A panel of judges will select a winner in each category; Individual Adult, Team Adult, Civic Team and Restaurants.
Each chili will be rated individually based on five attributes: aroma, color, taste, texture and aftertaste. The judges will give each attribute a score of 1 to 10 for a total of 250 possible points for each contestant.
Visitors can also watch the Rock on Ice group chip, shave and saw giant blocks of ice into such things as birds, trout, bears and other objects.
Volunteers are still needed for the event. Those wishing to volunteer or find more information can visit bestofblueridge.biz or contact Martinez at ccjmii@etcmail.com.