If you're feeling the heat, it isn't just the summer sunshine. It's also the city's mouth-watering anticipation of chili.
Hundreds of bowls of the stuff will flow like lava from a creative mountain on Saturday. Teams of chili warriors will joust for flavour dominance in the 43rd annual Spring Arts Bazaar. A year of culinary pride is on the line.
"It hasn't gotten nasty, but we've definitely heard some chili smack-talk," said Lisa Redpath, program manager for the Community Arts Council, the operators and organizers of the annual arts event, with the chili cook-off the central attraction.
"It originally started years ago as a fundraiser for the Prince George Potters' Guild," said Kate Cooke, past-president of the PGPG, the club that makes all the bowls. The bowls are your ticket to eat the chili and vote for your favourite.
"You'd buy chili and get a bowl with it," said Cooke, explaining the origins more than 40 years ago, "but it morphed into a partnership with the Community Arts Council. It became a competition, and now it is really popular and an important fundraiser for both of our organizations working together. They run the event and its so much bigger now. So many other guilds and artists and artisans have a presence there, but we potters still do the bowls and we have our 'seconds' sale which is really popular each year."
The "seconds" are the pottery items that have visual imperfections or flaws in the construction, but they are still useable. In fact, many are lovely works of art and/or an asset to any home, it just didn't turn out to the potter's personal standard. These discounted items are also for sale at the Spring Arts Bazaar.
The PGPG will also have information available for their menu of classes coming up. Learn to hand-build with clay, or throwing clay on the wheel, and meet others who also like to make their own clay creations.
"I consider it a sport. I have incredible arm muscles thanks to pottery. It can be quite physical, meditative, and incredibly rewarding," Cooke said. "We have the Coldsnap organizers partnering with us again this year, they provide musicians to the event, which is a big help for the atmosphere," said Redpath. "We also have the Downtown Rotary Club onsite with their boat raffle, so our big spring fundraiser is also helping the Rotary Club with their many worthy causes. We have a number of vendors, kids' activities, face painting, a lot of exposure and interaction for our local arts community and the public."
Cooke said the Spring Arts Bazaar "helps us support our pottery habit," and does so for other local artists and artisans as well, and whatever it is that catches your fancy at this festive show and sale "goes to show what all you can do with your hands, and what your local neighbours are capable of," Cooke added.
That includes the cookers of chili. These teams are volunteers that represent local businesses and agencies, all making their own amazing recipes in the hopes of winning public flavour favour. They, too, are demonstrating the spirit of the arts.
"This is a milestone year for us, in a way," said Redpath. "This will be our last year on this site (2880 15th Avenue). We don't know exactly what the future holds for us, the Spring Arts Bazaar and the chili cookoff will certainly continue, but we will be doing it somewhere else next year so we're going to make the most out of this last one on this spot."
The Spring Arts Bazaar runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The chili battle fits in from 11-2. It is free to attend, with plenty to see, do, and purchase on site as you wish, especially if your wish is chili. The entry bowls are $25 each, and come with a ballot to pick the winner as you sample the array of chili choices.
