Mild or Harsh – Winter in the Blue Hills is Worth Celebrating

Andrew Kiritsy, one of the Friends of the Blue Hills' interns from Suffolk University, describes the fun and good cheer at this year's Blue Hills Winter Fest.

Tuesday, February 28, marked the inauguration of what proved to be an exciting tradition for Friends of the Blue Hills: our first ever Winter Fest at Not even the lack of snow could keep away some of the more dedicated skiers and boarders who were treated to discounted skiing for the night – not to mention the host of great events we had going on inside the lodge. 

Between the chili cook-off, foot-stompin’ Irish music compliments of Songs for Ceilidh and beer tasting from our friends at , there were plenty of options to keep everyone happy and well-fed. 

The turnout was incredible, as over 100 of participants cast their votes for their favorite Chili recipes from Seema's in Norwood, Hyde Restaurant  in Hyde Park,  and Dane Tullock from cooking website, Cooking in the Great Outdoors.  It was a close competition, but we had two great winners. 

The hungry crowd voted with their spoons and ballots for Seema’s, while our distinguished judges Rep. Walter Timilty, Milton Selectman Robert Sweeney and Milton Police Chief Richard Wells favored Hyde’s vegetarian chili.

We were also thrilled to welcome Matt ‘Twig’ Largess to the Blue Hills as he led over two dozen eager hikers on a guided hike to the Blue Hills Observatory for a rare nighttime view of the Blue Hills. 

A big thank you to everyone who turned out for the event. Plus many thanks to Blue Hill Ski Area, Seema’s, 1275 Boston Providence Highway, Norwood, Hyde Restaurant, 5 Fairmount Avenue, Hyde Park, and Cooking in the Great Outdoors.