Warm up this winter with the Downtown Chili Cook-Off in Bay City

In what’s quickly becoming a wintertime tradition around these parts, the Downtown Chili Cook-Off is returning for its fourth year.

The annual event is scheduled for Sat., Feb. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

"We reached out to merchants and they use their creativity to get people in the door for something they might not usually offer," says Kellie Wackerle, administrative and marketing specialist for the Bay City Downtown Development Authority.

"There will be different kinds of chili, like smokehouse chocolate chili, vegetarian chili, and Texas jalapeño chili. There really is something for everyone."

Rather than have contestants gather in one centralized location, guests travel to each establishment to try the chili. The winner is selected by popular vote.

Participating restaurants include Gatsby's Seafood & Steakhouse, Mulligans Pub, MI Table, Old City Hall, Riverfront Grille Restaurant & Lounge, Tavern 101 Restaurant, Tex-Mex Grille, That Guys BBQ, That Guys Meat, City Market Community Teaching Kitchen, The Harvest Store, and Wrapin-N-Rollin.

Tickets are available for $10 in advance of the event and $12 on Feb. 29. Tickets are available at participating restaurants.

The chili cook-off is a sort of free-range event, where attendees can wander from restaurant to restaurant at their leisure. Which is part of the point, Wackerle says.

"This brings in people that want to come to the cook-off and then maybe go shopping after. It’s a long enough event where they can go try some chili, walk around and go to some shops, and then go back and try some more chili. It’s a good day of eating and shopping," she says.

"We want to bring people downtown on the weekends, give them something to do on a Saturday in the dead of winter.

"There’s not a lot going on and this becomes a fun option to walk around and eat some chili and warm up a little bit."

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