A new contest is trying to get people to think outside the chocolate and vanilla box.

The competition, sponsored by the city of East Lansing and Melting Moments, is asking people to invent a new ice cream flavor for the city's 100-year celebration next year.

"It's going to be something where the community can get involved and be a part of the centennial," said East Lansing spokeswoman Mikell Frey. "2007 is basically the birthday of the city."

So far, people have come up with about 25 flavors during the contest's first two weeks, Frey said.

"They're still steadily coming in," she said, adding that the contest deadline is Jan. 31.

But this contest isn't the first time Melting Moments employees have come up with more unique flavors.

"We tried to do a licorice flavor," said manager Lisa Belen. "The color of the flavoring wasn't dark enough, so it would look purple instead of black licorice."

Other new flavors found more success, such as peanut butter Oreo, she said.

The winning entry, already dubbed the "centennial flavor," could join the store's other flavors, at least for the next year, Belen said.

Besides the ice cream contest, other events are going to take place in East Lansing in celebration of its centennial.

To kick it off, the city is hoping 1,000 people will head out to the corner of M.A.C. and Albert avenues and form the number 100. A photographer will stand on the fourth floor of the Marriott at University Place, 300 M.A.C. Avenue, to take a picture that could be displayed in City Hall, said East Lansing spokeswoman Ami Van Antwerp.

"We're going to invite the whole community out there and form a 'human 100,'" she said.