Heat Check: Beverly Warrior Weekend Back For 2024 With New Hot Pepper Challenge

BEVERLY, MA — The Beverly Warrior Weekend will return for a second straight year this May with a bunch of returning favorites, some new attractions and contests, and a big tent to make sure rain does not dampen the festivities.

"Things are definitely moving forward for Warrior Weekend," Beverly Veterans Agent and WW founder and organizer David Perinchief told Patch. "A large amount of the people who came last year are coming back this year.

"We are growing. Getting people to come back a second time is the first step. Now that we have groups coming back that will help us solidify the event going forward."

Among the returning and new attractions are the axe throwing, rainforest reptiles, local dive company, cartoonist, woodworking booth and virtual reality sky diving.

Perinchief said that returning World War II reenactors will hopefully be augmented by more troops for a full-scale battle reenactment.

Among the newcomers is the Beverly House of Hot Sauce and More, which opened last April, and will offer its hot pepper challenge to those willing to try to down an entire Carolina Reaper pepper.

"I am very excited to be part of it this year," Richie Moyette, who owns Beverly House of Hot Sauce and More on Cabot Street, along with his daughter, Morgan, told Patch. "I've heard a lot of good things about it. I've talked with a lot of people who said they had a good time."

Moyette said that while the weekend will be a celebration of some examples of military and physical might, it takes a different type of fortitude to succeed in the pepper challenge.

"It doesn't matter how big you are, how tough you are, how strong you are," he said. "I've seen 15-year-old girls beat grown men. Size, strength, anything, it doesn't matter. It all depends on how it affects you.

"That's what leads to the fun because anyone can do it."

Moyette said the challenge will include eating an entire pepper without taking breaks or water. Winners will receive specially designed T-shirts.

Moyette said the Carolina Reaper was once thought to be the hottest pepper in the world.

"The Guinness Book of World Records for eating them is about 50," he said. "So while they are hot they will not hurt you. We don't want to put anyone in the hospital. You are going to suffer a little. But it will be fun."

Beverly House of Hot Sauce and More will gear up for Warrior Weekend with a one-year anniversary at its 166 Cabot Street location on April 7 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Perinchief said he is still working on more assets for the festival that takes place at Beverly High School the weekend before Memorial Day.

One asset not returning will be the helicopter unit from last year — for understandable reasons.

"That unit was just activated for overseas deployment," Perinchief said. "They were excited to come back but with things going on in the world their mission took priority."

Perinchief said he plans to have an area to collect items for care packages to be sent to the deployed unit members at Warrior Weekend.

He said Saturday's portion of the event will be more geared specifically geared to veterans' support services with veterans and their families invited to find out what benefits they are entitled to and how to access them.

Vendors interested in being a part of this year's event can reach out to Perinchief at the Beverly Veterans Affairs office at 978-778-5000 or dperinchief@beverlyma.gov.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)