As the weather starts to get colder, an East Lansing event looks to help warm students and residents up.
The city of East Lansing will host its 10th Annual Winter Festival and Chili Cook-Off from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Activities for children and adults will be scattered throughout downtown, including a reindeer petting zoo, a fashion show and horse and carriage rides.
All events are free.
“It really is a lot of fun, regardless of what age (you are),” said Mike Wylie, assistant manager of the Student Book Store, 417 E. Grand River Ave.
The bookstore will be hosting face painting by East Lansing Recreation and Arts and ornament making by Cool Creations.
Bagel-Fragel Deli, 527 E. Grand River Ave., will have cookie decorating, with sugar cookies and a variety of frosting and sprinkles for kids to decorate with. Adults are welcome to decorate cookies too if they’d like, said Terri Bettinger, owner of Bagel-Fragel and chair of East Lansing Merchants’ group.
The festival is “a fun way to do something with your kids for the holidays,” Bettinger said.
Horse and carriage rides around downtown will begin at the Ann Street Plaza at the corner of M.A.C. and Albert avenues. Also rolling throughout downtown will be Capital Area Transportation Authority’s antique trolley to accommodate holiday shoppers.
Most of the festival’s action will be near the Marriott East Lansing University Place, 300 M.A.C. Ave. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be in the Marriott lobby to take children’s holiday wish lists.
The chili cook-off will also be held in the hotel. Ten area restaurants plan to compete for the People’s Choice and Judge’s Choice Awards.
In last year’s cook-off, Flat’s Grille, 551 E. Grand River Ave., took first in the Judge’s Choice and third in the People’s Choice. This year, general manager Paul O’Connor said he hopes Flat’s will retain their title and gain ground in the People’s Choice standings.
“The people are what make the whole thing worthwhile,” he said.
O’Connor won’t reveal any of Flats plans for this year’s cook-off, however.
“It’s a big secret and I’m not at liberty to divulge it,” he said.
The cook-off begins at 2:30 p.m. and the winners will be announced at 4:45 p.m. at the Tree Lighting Ceremony in the park at the corner of Abbott Road and Albert Avenue.
Ami Field, community events coordinator for the city of East Lansing, suggested people come early if they want to taste all of the restaurants’ chili. Some of the restaurants began running out of chili by 4:15 p.m. last year, she said.
Local band Mystic Shake will provide entertainment for the cook-off.
Coinciding with the festival is the 37th Annual Holiday Arts and Crafts Show at the Union. 254 booths of original art and crafts will fill all four floors of the Union.
