22nd Annual WHEB Chili Cook-Off Fires Up on October 8th!
PORTSMOUTH, NH - Prescott Park Arts Festival will present the 22nd Annual WHEB Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, October 8th, 2010. Once again, the WHEB Chili Cook-Off will be perfectly paired with Strawbery Banke Museum's New Hampshire Fall Festival, and will be held on the grounds of Strawbery Banke, directly across the street from Prescott Park. Gates are set to open at 10:00am and Chili serving will commence at 11:30am, continuing until the chili is gone. A dozen Seacoast restaurants have registered to participate and both the Judge's Choice and People's Choice categories carry generous prizes of $1,500 advertising packages from event co-sponsors WHEB and Taste of the Seacoast magazine. WHEB will be on hand to provide live entertainment and once again, attendees will enjoy plenty of Redhook beer to complement the fieriest chili!
Each year, more than 4,000 residents and tourists attend the WHEB Chili Cook-Off, the final event in Prescott Park Arts Festival's Summer Season, and this year's celebration again promises to be a festive, tasty, and successful close to an amazing summer.
Participating restaurants include a great mix of newcomers and seasoned Chili Cook-Off veterans. Competing restaurants include: 106 Kitchen & Bar, Gordo's Burritos and Tacos, Lexie's Joint, Rira Irish Pub, The Old Salt Restaurant, TNT Subs, Herb's Hogs 'N Dogs, The Flatbread Company, The Press Room, Dos Amigos, and Zahtar. As the weather turns cooler, the summer memories begin to fade and Seacoast residents prepare for the long winter ahead, locals and visitors look forward to one more lively event, warmed by the spicy chili variations offered up by restaurants and Chili aficionados alike. Judging the restaurants on their chili will be Keith Lemerise, of Taste of the Seacoast magazine, WHEB Afternoon Host J.R., and food critic Rachel Forrest.
"This event is definitely a great way to close out our season on a high note," says Ben Anderson, Executive Director, "The Seacoast has so many fantastic restaurants; we're always excited to see who comes up with new and interesting chili recipes. And the pairing of our Chili Cook-Off with Strawbery Banke Museum's Fall Festival, well, we couldn't ask for a better collaboration."
Chili fans can fill their bowls, enjoy a frosty brew, and then discover all the New Hampshire Fall Festival has to offer. This is the third year of the festival, and features four centuries of traditional home and farm harvest festivities, and visitors will experience a traditional New England country fair like no other! Exhibits will include live demonstrations of historic crafts, trades, and home activities, farm animal and livestock demonstrations, master gardeners and horticulture experts, and demonstrations on textile crafts and fiber arts, including alpaca fiber preparation, spinning, dyeing and wool sorting. Local artisans will be displaying and selling their work, and local food vendors will be on hand to provide great food and drink to supplement the chili.
Entrance is FREE for Prescott Park Arts Festival and Strawbery Banke Museum members, and tickets are $15 for adults, $6 for youths (12 and under) for the general public. Tickets are available at www.prescottpark.org - just look for the Chili Cook-Off page under Food Festivals.
Since 1974, Prescott Park Arts Festival has successfully reached over 3.5 million people through more than 10,000 music, theater, dance and art productions offered at no fixed admission on the banks of the Piscataqua River. The 37th season featured the presentation of Peter Pan as the festival's signature musical production, as well as a variety of international artists as part of the River House Restaurant Concert Series and various music festivals.
Located on 3.5 acres in beautiful downtown Portsmouth, Prescott Park Arts Festival is considered to be a gem of the Seacoast and introduces many residents to their first experience with a live performance. For the entire season schedule or to become a Member or Sponsor, please visit our website at www.prescottpark.org or call 603-436-2848.
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Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 09:07AM 
Joyce has made a name for herself as a sought-after fiddler and singer in the Northeast for the last 20 years. Her fiery fiddling has run the gamut from Nashville country, alt rock, swing, bluegrass, Celtic and folk, to various traditional fiddle styles.
The concert will also feature Harvey Reid, hailed as "one of the true treasures of American acoustic music" and a "giant of the steel strings".
AND, while our stage is dark as we prepare for summer, our Arts Alley Pass friends have some wonderful offerings that you won't want to miss.
AND, not only will we be using mettalic spoons and compostable bowls, but Earthtec will be collecting all plastic beer cups to turn into future festival t-shirts (seriously!). How cool is that!!!
