Outside of this past weekend, there haven’t been a lot of days without rain over the last several weeks. The weather has wreaked havoc on spring sports schedules and has kept everyone inside most afternoons.

Surely there is warmer and dryer weather ahead as the calendar transitions from winter into spring. Hopefully one of those dry days will be April 2, which is the new date of the Alabama River Chili Cookoff. The event, which was originally scheduled for Thursday, had to be moved due to the threat of thunderstorms.

The cookoff, which is run by Selma-Dallas County Leadership Class XVII hosts the annual charity event, which has turned into one of the most anticipated events of the spring. It’s a great place for fellowship and to sample all different takes on chili.

It’s too bad that the cookoff couldn’t take place on its originally scheduled date, but it could end up being a good thing.

The new date extends the deadline so that more teams can register and hopefully clearer weather will mean higher participation numbers come next month. It’s important that the community backs the cookoff because proceeds benefit SABRA Sanctuary, a shelter for victims of domestic violence.

Anyone interested in having a team sign up for the cookoff can contact Leslie Free at 878-4543.