Spend Saturday feasting on chili then chasing it with beer at these two Wichita events
Saturday is predicted to be a warm — but not too warm — fall day in Wichita: the perfect day for a whole bunch of chili washed down with craft beer.
And as luck may have it, two of Wichita’s big annual outdoor events are happening on Saturday, one featuring chili and one featuring beer.
Here’s what you need to know to attend the annual Wichita Wagonmasters Downtown Chili Cookoff and the Kansas Craft Brewers Guild’s Prairieland Beer & Music Festival:
Wagonmasters Downtown Chili Cookoff
This cookoff has been happening since 2005, and it always draws a huge crowd of people hungry for the chili cooked up by a long list of competitors.
This year, the event will start at noon Saturday in the 500 block of East Douglas, adjacent to Naftzger Park. As always, attendees will purchase $5 tasting kits then travel from booth to booth sampling creations made by groups of friends, coworkers and even restaurants. A panel of judges will pick the best chili in a number of categories, and there will also be a people’s choice award.
The cookoff also will include a pepper eating contest starting on the main stage at 2:45 p.m. The gates open at 9 a.m., which is also when beer sales start. People who want to sample lots of chili should be there by noon because chili can run out quickly. The event also will include inflatables for kids, live music from Jet City and more. Tasting kits are available at the gate.
Prairieland Beer & Music Festival
Local craft brewers put together this festival, now in its seventh year. It returns to Hyde Park on Saturday — but with a new twist. This year, organizer The Kansas Craft Brewers Guild has asked all participating breweries to bring a “collab beer” with them to serve. That means that each booth will feature a unique beer brewed when two entities work together — beer that won’t be available anywhere but the festival.
The event lasts from 1 to 5 p.m., and ticket holders will get unlimited beer samples and a chance to hear music from The Band That Saved the World, a funk and soul band from Lawrence.
The festival will include around 35 breweries and more than 100 beers. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Beauties & Beasts Pet Rescue, which will be on-site with adoptable dogs. Tickets are $45 at www.ticketleap.com
