Goshen Fire and Ice Festival, January 4 & 5, 2013

There’s something special about chili in the winter. When you’re chilled to the bone, and an extra sweater just won’t cut it, chili warms that special place that normal heat just can’t reach.

In Goshen, Indiana (Elkhart County), you can get your fill of chili at the 6th annual Fire and Ice Festival in downtown Goshen on the first Friday and Saturday in January — this year, that’s January 4th & 5th. The two-day festival has a full schedule, including ice sculpting, a chili competition between downtown Goshen restaurants, and an ice competition with cash prizes.

The festival will also see the Fire Dancers from Pyrotation Nation, and will include 10 Fire Spinners and staff who perform fire-filled dance shows. The dancers use different styles of spinning like the Rope Dart, Nunchuks, Poi, Staff, Hoops, and Fire Spitting.

The Michiana Ice Carvers Association will also carve 300 pound blocks of ice into a variety of different objects, and there are even a few double- and triple-block sculptures.

And of course, there’s chili for you too. There are free tickets available to the first 250 people. The tasting and competition runs from 11 am – 1 pm on Saturday, and you’ll pick up your tickets at the Goshen Theater on 216 S. Main. You MUST have a ticket to enjoy the chili.

Participating restaurants include:

• Constant Spring – 219 South Main
• The Electric Brew – 136 South Main
• Elks Lodge #768 – 220 North Main
• Maple City Market – 314 South Main
• Mattern’s Butcher Shop & Corner Deli – 201 South Main
• Rachel’s Bread – 212 West Washington
• San Marcos – 113 South Main

Finally, cap off the weekend with the Fire and Ice Tower on Friday night from 7:00 – 9:00 pm. A 16-block ice tower will surround a giant bonfire, and at 7:00, they’ll light the fire, which should burn for several hours, melting the ice.

For more information, check out the Fire and Ice web page on the City of Goshen’s website.