Chili lovers, take note. The first Eugene Chilibration is here — and event organizers promise the two-day salsa competition and chili cook-off will be even hotter than the winning bowl of chili.
Hosted by the same group that sponsors the Eugene Celebration and First Night Eugene, the Chilibration will be held downtown at the intersection of Broadway and Willamette streets.
The gates open at 5 p.m. Friday, and those who show up between 5 and 6 p.m. that day can buy a two-day pass for $5 — after that, it will be $8 for both days or $5 for just Saturday.
Admission comes with a spoon, a cup and a napkin — and then participants are free to sample chili creations from the 12 to 15 cooks expected to attend, said Britt Tvenge, the marketing director for Downtown Events Management, the group hosting the event.
Cooks are encouraged to use their own style and to be as flamboyant as possible, she added, with awards given to the cook with the best booth as well as the best chili.
Hosting the event will be Ev Levine, aka the “Chili Belle.” Levine, who describes herself as having “a long-time interest in hot food,” will provide the crowd with samples of her very own “Love Chili.”
Eating this chili infuses a person with love, she said, but she won’t divulge what goes into her heart-felt recipe.
“Just as love is a mystery, so is the secret ingredient in Love Chili,” she said.
Levine said an added bonus to the Chilibration is that organizers have obtained a permit allowing festival attendees to drink alcohol outside the beer garden — which, according to Levine, is a key ingredient to a proper chili cook-off.
“You can’t be cooking chili without drinking beer,” she said.
Along with community members, Levine will also be dancing at the Chilibration, performing a range of spicy dance styles such as Argentine tango, Cajun and salsa.
Live music will be another feature of the event, with Friday night’s entertainment including performances by blues artists Skip Jones and Norton Buffalo and the Knockouts. Buffalo, a renowned harmonica player, has toured with the Steve Miller Band and has recorded songs with former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart.
On Saturday, events begin at 11 a.m. with a Corvette and vintage motorcycle show, crafts and activities for children, and a John Wayne memorabilia exhibition. There will also be music performances throughout the day by Los Mex Pistols del Norte, LaZoo and other artists.
But the main event of the Chilibration will be the chili cook-off itself, with cash prizes totaling $1,000 up for grabs to the best chef. Following the salsa competition on Saturday, judges will sample the cooks’ chili and select a winner based on criteria such as color, texture, smell, taste and spiciness.
Mrs. Lane County, Annette Konnie, will be one of the competition judges. A first-time chili judge, the contestant in the upcoming Mrs. Oregon competition said she volunteered for the job because “I love chili.”
As this is the first year for the event, Konnie said she’s not sure what to expect, but she plans on having a good time.
“I’m just looking forward to meeting some really wonderful people,” Konnie said. “And hopefully not spilling anything on myself.”