The 23rd annual Chili cook-off is set for the Jasper Activity Centre on Jan. 21, and participants are ready to turn up the heat this year. 

Alan Wilson, organizer for the cook-off, says the event has been in Jasper longer than Jasper in January. The event got its start in the basement of the Amethyst Lodge, but quickly grew out of its humble beginnings. 

“Then it got so big,” Wilson said. 

The event was then moved to the Jasper Activity Centre, where it has remained. 

Groups of three people cook their chili on site before the event opens to the public at 6 p.m. Prizes are provided by MPL’s suppliers and are awarded not only for the best chili, but the best decorated booths. There will be four judges deciding the best chili, and they’re in for a red-hot chili treat. Each sample of chili is without a name, so the judges do not know whose recipe they’re tasting. Entries can be as an individual, but usually groups enter. 

After the chili tasting is over, the event turns into a dance late into the night with DJ Tommy K. 

“It’s fun, people eat chili and drink beer,” Wilson said. 

Many different businesses and groups have tried their hand at the chili cook-off over the years. Wilson has a hard time picking a favourite group, but the girls from Vegas in showgirl costumes and the Jasper Fire Department are stand outs. 

“They’re always so well done,” Wilson says of the booths. “It’s about having fun.”

There is still some space to sign up for a booth. Currently there are about 11 to 17 teams signed up.

There is a limit of 21 teams set each year, but Wilson said they have only hit that marker once. Each year the decorations for each booth is a surprise to Wilson until everything gets set up. 

“It’s a lot of fun,” he said. 

For more information, or to enter a team, contact Wilson at 780-852-2513.