PALESTINE – It got hot in Palestine over the weekend; pepper hot. The Hot Pepper Festival, Palestine’s largest event, took place Saturday with entertainment, food and family-friendly activities downtown.
The festival began with a parade and continued with live music and a downtown marketplace all day. The Hot Pepper Festival also featured a free Kid’s Zone, with activities throughout the festival.
Palestine Chamber of Commerce president Heather Chancellor said the festival was a neat part of the city’s history and a way for the community to get together.
“The Palestine Chili Cook-off and Hot Pepper Festival has been a tradition for over 42 years in the Palestine area. It was started by Palestine firefighters and has grown to include parades and other community events,” said Chancellor.
“Not only does this put a much needed smile on people’s faces, it’s an opportunity for Palestine businesses and social groups to put their best foot forward and show our town spirit and why we are so proud to be Palestine residents. It’s a nice boost to our local economy of course,” she continued.
Live music included Aaron Goodvin, The Ransom Brothers Band, and Morgan Ashley along with live dance and tumbling performances by New Creation Dance, Academy of Dance, Steps of Faith, Titanium Cheer, and G4.
The spicy event also held several contests including the Atomic Wing Challenge, sponsored by WingStop, the crowd favorite Hot Pepper Eating Contest which starts with a bell pepper and works up the Scoville scale with a variety of peppers, and the Lolly Lick-A-Thon, sponsored by Intensity Academy.
The event, which spanned several downtown streets with food and merchandise vendors, was free of charge.
For more information, call 903-729-6066 or visit www.palestinechamber.org