Chili Cook-Off – January 19 - 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM

Just like it sounds, the downtown restaurants and retailers cook up some of the most amazing chili and compete for the bragging rights of being the BEST chili downtown.  Now, this is somewhat hard to do because we have some of the best restaurants in Southwest Michigan.  But, with over 35 locations, this is an event where your tummy will be full, your tastebuds will be on fire, and in the cold of winter, you will be smiling with a spoon in your mouth.  That’s right, it’s that fun.  Plus, it’s free.

By January 10, the chili locations will be posted and at each location, there will be a Chili Passport which is a guide that includes a listing the participating locations and a chance to make notes about the chili you are tasting.  After completing the “Chili Cook-off Circuit” participants are asked to vote for their favorite chili based on the categories of Retailer and Restaurant.  There are 10 voting locations that will have large signs and voting boxes.  And, then at 3 p.m. on January 19, the recipes will be posted on line so that participants can download their favorite recipe.

Watch for announcements about the event – but make sure to put it on your calendar for a fun afternoon in downtown Kalamazoo.

Kalamazoo Beer Week - January 12-18

Kalamazoo Beer Week, known fondly as KBW, is all about building a relationship with craft beer. Some of us already share this passion: an affinity for hand-crafted products, made by people who care about an enriching brew experience and carefully fashioned flavor profiles. But some are newer to their understanding of how amazing craft beer can be.

Kalamazoo Beer Week is a weeklong series of events that support the craft beer experience through special tastings, dinners, and interactive events. Patrons will meet the brewers themselves, learn about what it takes to develop these kinds of intricate, highly desired products, and hopefully achieve a greater sense of this market segment that has taken hold of beer drinkers everywhere.