Winter Warm-up, Crafts Fair & Chili Competition is back

Scott Turner, KP News

On Saturday, Nov. 7, the Key Peninsula Civic Center will host the annual Winter Warm-up, Crafts Fair & Chili Competition.

The free event takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Key Peninsula firefighters will judge the chili competition, and organizers say the entire event promises to be more fun than ever.

For starters, activity areas have been rearranged and the chili cook-off will take place on the stage, Patricia Ghiossi said.

That has opened up an entire room for more crafts vendors. “We have almost 50 vendors,”Ghiossi said. “That’s more than usual.”

She anticipates that there will be lots of holiday-themed crafts in addition to regular items.

“It’s all crafts people who make things by hand and we give priority to KP crafters,”she said.

There’s also plenty of kids’ stuff, she added, as Two Waters Arts Alliance will be there with art-making activities.

The younger generation will be well-represented in the entertainment as well.

WANT TO GO?

The annual Winter Warm Up, Crafts Fair & Chili Competition takes place Saturday, Nov. 7, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the KP Civic Center. The free event includes a chili cook-off, crafts fair and live entertainment by local music groups. For information, call the civic center at (253)884-3456.

The Key Peninsula Middle School jazz band, under the direction of Staci Webb, will perform at 10 a.m. The band is made up of students in the seventh and eighth grades who play “a variety of jazz styles including swing, blues and rock,”Ghiossi said.

At 10:30, the KPMS choir takes the stage. Webb also directs the choir, which is the largest class in the school. Their next performance will be at the school’s Veterans Day assembly.

Vaughn Elementary School’s drum ensemble, The Whole Note Huskies, will show off their skills at 11:15. Vaughn music teacher Lisa Mills directs the Huskies.

Afternoon entertainment spotlights the Key Singers and the Bluegrass Minstrels, Ghiossi said.

There’s also a raffle of items donated by the vendors and local 4H club members will be on hand to assist the vendors. KGHP-FM general manager Spencer Abersole will emcee the day’s events.