By Blake Deshazo

The Selma Times-Journal

Three times is a charm for Selma car dealership Moore-Stewart Ford, as they are once again teaming up with the Selma-Dallas County Leadership Class XVIII to put on the 4th Annual Alabama River Chili Cookoff.

“We are definitely excited to have Moore-Stewart Ford to come back again,” said Ebony Rose, Class XVIII’s team captain.

“For them to commit to us year after year for the last three years has definitely been amazing. We couldn’t do it without them. We certainly enjoy having them as our title sponsor.”

This year’s chili cookoff is set for Thursday, March 12 from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Water Avenue.

Rose said the Moore-Stewart Ford team has been a big help to the cookoff.

“Everyone at Moore-Stewart Ford has been phenomenal for us,” Rose said. “They have pretty much rolled out the red carpet for us and have done everything for us.”

Barry Parker, one of the dealership’s owners, said they enjoy partnering with Leadership Class XVIII every year.

“We just like it because each year it gets bigger and bigger, and it is a good thing for the community,” Parker said. “We enjoy doing it and enjoy helping put on the program.”

While the crew from Moore-Stewart won’t be cooking up a big pot of chili for the competition, they will be lining up some of Ford’s newest cars and trucks down Water Avenue to show off to the many people that will be there.

“We’re not much of chili cookers here,” Parker joked.

“We’ve talked about it, but we’ve said we’ll leave our team to getting the cars ready and displaying them.”

Just like the dealership is expanding, the chili cookoff continues to get bigger and better every year, Parker said.

“Each year the crowd gets bigger, and they add chili cookoff teams. It is just something that continues to grow. We’ve been in business this past October for 20 years, and we want to help the community grow and be a part of it.”

While the cook-off might seem to be all about chili, it’s really about bringing the community together for a good cause.

This year’s cook-off will benefit the SABRA Sanctuary, which offers a safe haven and services to victims of domestic violence in Dallas and surrounding counties.

“Being able to see what that little extra money can do for nonprofit organizations is the part that excites me the most,” Parker said. “To be able to put this event on and then be able to sit down and write a check is exciting.”

The entire Moore-Stewart Ford team is excited for the event, Parker said, and they can’t wait to show off their cars and taste spicy goodness of the chili competition.

“If you’ve never been, don’t miss it,” Parker said.

“It is a great event, and we’re looking forward to it. I hope we’ll be there for the years to come as it continues to grow and get bigger and bigger.”