Early Thursday morning, tents began to line Water Avenue in preparation for the annual Alabama River Chili Cookoff. Shortly after competitors began setting up, the sweet smell of chilli wafted from the collection of tents.

Soon after gates opened, people began to flock to Water Avenue.

Organizers said the event sold out of tickets approximately halfway into the event. And, more continued to file into the cookoff even after tickets sold out. At times, it was difficult to maneuver through the crowd.

We didn’t have a chance to try every team’s chili, but from what we were able to taste, the recipes were spot on. Though, not everyone is a top chef.

Besides good food, there was also music, dancing and demonstrations by a local organizations, such as the Dixie Flips. And, the nice shiny cars lined down Water Avenue certainly didn’t hurt things.

Whether it’s an ancient family recipe or a newly crafted creation, we would like to see more teams take part in next year’s event, especially from outside of Selma.

Sure, this year was the biggest yet, at 45 teams, but next year could be even bigger.

We would encourage event organizers to continue the chili cookoff and do their best to expand it to as many teams as possible.