Perch. Chili. Sunshine.

JEREMY PLAMONDON shows off the 13¼-inch
perch he caught that took first place at the Glen
Arbor Winterfest Saturday. Plamondon won $485
for his first-place entry.

Two staples of winter around Glen Lake, and a rather unusual visitor, greeted a record number of participants Saturday at the Glen Arbor Winterfest.

Some 396 citizen judges signed up for the chili contest and a chance to feast upon a lineup of five-gallon steaming pots of winter warmers on the deck of Boonedocks restaurant. The perch contest brought in 97 entries.

Both were records.

"The weather was good, and people are making a point of coming north for this," said Bonnie Nescot, president of the Glen Lake Chamber of Commerce and de facto chili taster counter.

The festival — actually, chili tasting and perch fishing make up all of the activities — is starting to gain momentum, with retail stores and restaurants noticing a buildup of people up for a long weekend starting last Thursday, Nescot said. She and husband Tim Barr own Art’s Tavern in Glen Arbor.

"We started noticing more people on Valentine’s day," said Nescot. "I asked one person what was going on, and he said that there was a buzz. A lot of people were starting to come up for it."

It’s easy to see why chili connoisseurs would sign up. Restaurants, other businesses and residents who had a recipe to show off entered the contest. Twenty-two different chili recipes were offered, with 14 labeled as "traditional" containing tomato sauce and meat. Another eight fit into the "non-traditional" category.

Don’t ask for a recipe from traditional chili winners Dave Moffat and Paul Kokowicz, who entered under their Peace Pole Makers business. They named their entry "Two Guys and a Pot" because, according to Nescot, they weren’t exactly sure what ingredients ended up in the mixture.

Devon Volz was all bundled
up while serving chili for Cherry
Republic.

Second place in the traditional category went to Glen Lake Schools head cook Gene Peyerk and his "Chef Gene’s Three-Bean Chili." Non-traditional winners were Pizza Chili from Bear Paw Pizza, first; and French Sausage Meatball Chili from LaBecasse Restaurant, second.

The contest attracted some interesting recipes, including Great Northern Beer Chili from TNT Video, Hawaiian Cowboy Chili from Art’s Tavern, Full Throttle Chili from Glen Craft Marine, Leelanau Chili Surprise from the Leelanau Enterprise, and Shut Up & Eat Chili from "Schlosser."

All those who tasted were eligible to vote.

"It’s really a good deal. For $8 you could try four ounces of 22 different chili (batches). That’s a lot of food," said Nescot.

The event raised $4,320 for the Glen Lake Scholarship Fund organized by the Chamber. Last year, two $1,000 scholarships were awarded Glen Lake High School graduates; Nescot said the group may offer more scholarship funding this year and still be able to put some money away for a rainy Winterfest.

The weather couldn’t have been better Saturday — at least not for Leelanau County in mid-February. Temperatures rose into the mid-20s and sunshine broke onto the Boonedocks deck for a short time as chili lovers mockingly called out, "Sunscreen!"

THREE ATTENDEES at the Glen Arbor Winterfest
gather after sampling chili Saturday. Pictured
(from left) are Mary Clark, Stan Brubaker and
John Clark, all of Glen Arbor.

For the first time, a "weigh-off" was needed to declare the winner of the Perch Contest sponsored by the Sportsman Shop. With about one-third more entries than received in previous contests, $970 in prize money was literally on the line.

Jeremy Plamondon’s 16-ounce, 13 1/4 inch perch took top prize, while past winner Tim Egeler’s perch was the same length but one ounce less.

Twin brothers Jeremy and Josh Plamondon fished from their portable shanty from 8:30 a.m. to a little past noon, and only caught two fish. But one was worth $485.

"I was fishing in the middle of Little Glen Lake, and no one else was around," said Plamondon. He had not previously entered the contest.

Egeler, who won in 2006, still earned $291 for his effort. Dave Rommel was third with a 13-inch perch worth $194, and Travis Motko’s 12½-inch perch was good for fourth place and a perch dinner for two donated by Art’s Tavern.

The tournament record of 14½-inches set in 2005 was unchallenged, although one entrant showed up at 1:04 — four minutes past the deadline — with a perch that onlookers said easily would have set a new mark.

Perch fishing had been hot on Glen Lake, but not on Saturday, said Sportsman Shop owner Bob Smith.

"It was tough fishing. People who usually catch big fish didn’t have anything to weigh," he said.

Traverse City resident Nick Garno, who made the drive with friends to Glen Arbor for perch fishing and chili, had the best philosophy. His longest perch finished short of the winnings.

"We caught about six, but that (11 1/2 inch perch) was by far the biggest. We’re just out to have fun," he said.

Like the chili, there appeared to be plenty of fun to go around.