Even though it’s possible there could be some scraps of Christmas turkey still lurking somewhere in the back of the fridge, Qualicum Beach Councillor Barry Avis wants area residents to think about the spring — and chili.
That’s when he hopes they’ll roll up their sleeves and get involved in a couple of the community’s premier events.
Speaking at a recent regular council meeting, Avis said the organizing committee for the Fire and Ice Festival has held its first meetings in preparation for the big event.
Avis urged residents and business owners alike to get on board to help make sure both events are up to snuff when their big day rolls around.
“It would be nice to see more involvement by volunteers and maybe even some merchants on these committees,” he said.
Fire and Ice Festival spokesperson Roger Griffiths said his first priority is to get enough chili teams signed up.
“I’m trying to get people to enter the chili teams. That’s my big thing, trying to fill up the roster,” he said. “We want up to 30 teams. Last year we had 21 because we lost four or five right at the end, due to different circumstances.”
Far in the back of his mind, Griffiths has a nightmare scenario of a crowd that’s bigger than ever, with better entertainment than ever — and not enough chili to go around.
“Last year we did more advertising up and down the Island and so we had more people than ever, but a lower number of chili teams,” he said.
“We are encouraging people to come and we’re going to have entertainment so we need to have chili to feed them.”
Visit fireandicestreetfestival.com/ for more information or call 250-752-9081.