Chili on the Beach

Thousands will gather at Hueneme Beach on Saturday, all converging to enjoy the chili surroundings. It’s the third annual Port Hueneme Chili Cook-off, kicking off at 10 a.m. and sizzling tongues and palates until 6 p.m.

The festival is sponsored in part by the Port Hueneme Recreation Department and sanctioned by the International Chili Society, said Brady Cherry, director of recreation and community services.

“We’re dubbing it ‘Chili on the Beach III,’ ” he said. More than 25 chili chefs de cuisine will truck in from all over the western United States--secret spices and recipes in hand--to vie for cash awards.

It’s not an event they take lightly, Cherry said. “It’s very competitive stuff. They’re trying to qualify for the California state championships” to be held later this year.

While a panel of 10 judges will scrutinize the chili concoctions cooked on site, festival-goers will have a hand in determining who gets the “People’s Choice Award.”

“For 50 cents a spoonful, the public can vote for their favorite and we’ll hand out an award to the winner,” Cherry said. Proceeds from this award will benefit the Hueneme Special Olympics program.

This is more than a festival of competition chili, however. Festival-goers can enjoy an array of arts and crafts booths, food booths, petting zoo, pony rides, children’s rides and games, a beer and wine garden and more. Past festivals have attracted upward of 5,000 people, organizers said.

The festival will feature live music with the country-bluegrass band Smokewood at 11:30 a.m. At 2:30 p.m., the local country band Wildfire will take to the concert stage, and at 5 p.m. Classics in the Park will stage its production of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.”

Admission to the festival and all activities are free. For more information, call 986-6555.