With St. Thomas havin' a heat wave, a tropical heat wave, with temperatures risin' and all that hot stuff, the monthly Garden Party planners in Tillett Gardens figured, hey, go for it.
So, Saturday's day-long arts and crafts fair will have a fiery finish — a hot sauce competition to be judged by the public at a "Hot Happy Hour" from 4 to 7 p.m.
There's a $5 fee for entering the competition and a $2 fee for each people's choice ballot for those who want to vote (as often as they can afford to), but "it's all to benefit the animals," organizer Cheryl Miller says. Awards donated by Tillett Gardens artists and artisans will be given for the "hottest," "tastiest" and "prettiest" concoctions, and all proceeds will go to the Humane Society of St. Thomas.
The Garden Party, hosted the second Saturday of each month by Tillett Gardens tenants, gets under way at 10 a.m. Visitors will find paintings, pottery, scented candles, beadwork, one-of- a-kind teddy bears, hand-painted fashions, leathercraft, aromatherapy products, jewelry and more. The Ridvan Studio in the complex will offer beading workshops throughout the day.
By 3 p.m., those wishing to compete in the hot sauce contest must submit two bottles or jars of their product, labeled with their name and telephone number. Sauces can be home-made or commercially marketed but must be locally produced.
Polli's Mexican Restaurant in the garden complex will have snacks suited to sauce tasting — taco chips, veggies and chicken tenders — at a special rate, and the bar will be open as usual for happy hour. Miller promises to have heartburn remedies available at no extra charge.
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