Slice & Spice

If you mix a bowl of chili with a round of golf, the spring thaw can't be too far away. But for today's 17th annual Chili Open, hope for at least a thin blanket of snow on the ground. Here's how it works: About 1,000 duffers chase neon-colored golf balls on three 9-hole courses of artificial turf in the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds' parking lot. Between rounds on the 65-yard fairways, they'll warm up indoors with bowls of chili. They can also bid on an auction of items, from a loge at a Tribe game to a Lebron James-signed basketball to benefit Easter Seals and the Polio Plus program. Toward the end of the day, linksters can compete in a hole-in-one contest to win a two-year lease on a car. "For the fun of it, the colder it is, the better. With a lot of wind and cold, it's a nice challenge," says spokesman Ken McEntee. "It's a little rudimentary, but it's fun." Tee off from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, 164 Eastland Road in Berea. Fee is $35 in advance and $40 at the gate. Call 216-898-4719 or visit www.chiliopen.org.
Sat., Feb. 23, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., 2008