Comfort food at winter lights

This weekend's Winter Lights Festival, Jan. 20 and 21, will launch with its traditional mac 'n cheese and chili contests at the Dimmick Inn, 101 East Harford St., starting 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. New rules this year will keep the identity of the cooks a secret, as visitors test-taste their way around the creations of local amateur and professional chefs. Festival-goers, well-nourished, will then venture out into Milford's winter wonderland to take a spin around the Ann Street Park rink, or see the free show titled “Merlin Awakens,” an Arthurian legend brought to life by skaters from the Frozen Feet Theater at 2 p.m. on both days. The rink will be transformed by colored lights and an ice sculpture being coaxed from the elements by artist Tom Holmes. For more about the festival, please visit http://bit.ly/2DcoVce. Pictured is a mac 'n cheese entry from a past Winter Lights Festival. (File photo by George Leroy Hunter)