Besides the big football game scheduled for Sunday, The Morning Call has a list of events to check out around the Lehigh Valley this weekend.
A chili cookoff
Maybe you attended the ArtsQuest “Souper Bowl” last weekend? If you want more exciting recipes in the Lehigh Valley, the Greater Easton Development Partnership is hosting the annual Easton Chili Cookoff the afternoon before the Super Bowl. The event offers restaurant chefs opportunities for best chili bragging rights, with visitors able to sample recipes.
“Whether attendees like their chili mild or five-alarm hot, the Easton Chili Cookoff will have something for all palates,” read a news release from the Greater Easton Development Partnership, or GEDP. The event was first founded in 1994.
The cookoff raised $3,000 last year, according to event organizers at Pearly Baker’s Alehouse. The chili action will spice up this year at the Bank Street Annex.
If you go: Event runs from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Sunday at 316 Northampton St, Easton. Tickets can be purchased online.
For runners braving the cold
For the 24th time on Sunday, runners can partake in the Super Bowl Tailgate Trot 10K, a race showcasing dozens of age group competitions, prize earnings and donation opportunities toward Lehigh Valley nonprofits.
The six-mile race snakes through Allentown parks and local roads, with a modest 300 foot elevation gain, according to Lehigh Valley Road Runners, the organizer of the event.
The youngest age group for the event is 10-14, while the oldest is for participants aged 70 and older.
Interested road runners can sign up until Feb. 7, with a $50 entry fee.
Participants hit the home stretch of the Lehigh Valley Roadrunners Superbowl 10K race in Allentown’s Lehigh Parkway on Sunday, February 7, 2016. (Harry Fisher / The Morning Call)
Music and carriage rides in Upper Macungie
Also for cold-weather enthusiasts, Grange Park in Upper Macungie Township will host Winterfest on Saturday.
The free event features horse and carriage rides, food, music performances and interactive games, according to Upper Macungie Township’s website.
Organizers of the festival, per the event’s website, are anticipating over 1,000 guests.
If you go: Festivities take place from 4-7 p.m. Saturday at Grange Park, 360 Grange Rd, Allentown.
Ice God mater carver Angelito Baban carves ice sculptures Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, during Winterfest at Grange Park in Upper Macungie Township. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
An early Valentine’s Day chocolate gift
In a five-hour Historic Bethlehem tour, guests can take a map and sample chocolates in the annual Chocolate Trail from noon-5 p.m. Saturday.
It’s the first of two chocolate excursions; the latter one takes place on Valentine’s Day. Guests can vote for a favorite bite and extra-sweet prizes are on the line, according to Historic Downtown Bethlehem’s social media.
Participants include 19 chocolate vendors — ranging from coffee shops, wineries and more — that will offer their sweet treats in a rain-or-shine event.
If you go: Tickets are $40, and can be purchased on the organizer’s website. The start of the tour is located at 74 W. Broad St., Bethlehem.
Andreas Pelekis is a freelance writer. Reach out to him with weekend tips for next weekend at atp3417@gmail.com.