Offering mouth-watering recipes of homemade chili ranging from mild and delightful to wild and adventurous, the City of Gatlinburg hosts its 19 th annual Winter Magic Kickoff and Chili Cookoff on Wednesday, Nov. 5 from 5 to 8 p.m. on River Road and Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies Plaza.
Highlighted by the debut of Phase III of the spectacular all-LED Gatlinburg Winter Magic tm lights program and entertainment headlined by the return appearance of the fabulous Cornell Gunter Coasters, up to 20 vendors will serve up kettles of chili ready for you to sample as this year’s event returns to the popular River Road and Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies Plaza area.
For a small donation, receive a spoon and a voting ballot, then be pleasantly tempted and tested before casting your vote for the People’s Choice Award. Also, judges will select winners in categories including Best Taste, Booth Presentation, Apron Design and Most Unique Chili Name.
The classic sounds of The Coasters highlight the musical talent for the festivities, with their songs including "Charlie Brown," "Yaketey Yak," "Poison Ivy" and "Along Came Jones" sure to get you up off your feet for a trip around the dance floor.
The main stage will also feature Grammy nominated band, “Barry Scott & Second Wind,” the bluegrass gospel group which recently released its debut album entitled In God’s Time, as well as local favorites, The Griffin Brothers.
Gatlinburg Winter Magic tm is the four-year, $1.5 million rollout of custom designed, one-of-a-kind lighting displays which now features all LED, energy-efficient bulbs along Gatlinburg’s famous Downtown Parkway, adjacent River Road, the triangle juncture of the two, and Hwy. 321.
New in 2008 are sparkling displays of fanciful snowmen, international children and a shiny rocking horse as well as dazzling fountains in the downtown triangle adjacent to the Chili Cookoff tents.
The City of Gatlinburg has converted its entire winter lights program to quarter-watt LED bulbs, replacing the 5-watt incandescent bulbs and saving the City some 95 percent in kilowatt usage and allowing the City to light the entire 120 days of the program for the same number of kilowatt hours of electricity it once required to light three days of the program.
Among the confident chili cookers who are willing to put their taste to the test are Citizens National Bank, Corky’s BBQ, Crawdaddy’s Restaurant & Bar, Fox & Parrott Tavern, Gatlinburg Elks Lodge, Gatlinburg Fire Department, Gatlinburg Mass Transit Department, Gatlinburg Police Department, Hellbender Grill, Hoggs & Honey’s Saloon & Grill, Pittman Center Volunteer Fire Department, Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, Sevier County Utility District, Smokey’s Pub & Grub, Tennessee State Bank, TGI Friday’s, Touch of Love Catering, Walters State Community College Culinary Department, and Westgate Resort’s Smoke House Grill.
Event sponsors include A Step Above & Premier Limousine, Best Western Twin Islands, Coca-Cola, Food City, Hard Rock Café, Mountain Rentals of Gatlinburg, Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, Sprint, Star 102.1, and Wireless Image.
Tickets are $7 in advance, with the Pi Beta Phi PTA receiving $3 of pre-sale proceeds. Tickets are available at City Welcome Centers, BB&T, Citizens National Bank, Greystone Lodge at the Aquarium, Home Federal, Jack Huff’s Motor Lodge, Mountain National Bank, SmartBank and Tennessee State Bank.
Tickets are $8 after 2 p.m. on November 5, with Pi Beta Phi PTA receiving $2 of those proceeds.
Kids’ activities will be available.
For further information, call the Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce at (865) 436-4178 or 1-800-568-4748.

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