The only thing more fitting than holding a chili cook-off in January is having the proceeds from the event go toward the Warren County Children’s Shelter, a program of Canopy Children’s Solution Shelter.

For the past eight years, a chili cook-off has been held to benefit children in our community seeking a safe, home-like refuge and on Saturday the 9th Annual Chili For Children Cook-off will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. outside the Lady Luck Arena, 1380 Warrenton Road.

“January is a great time of year to receive the funds,” the program director at Mississippi Children’s Home Services/Warren County Children’s Shelter Cindy McCarley, “Because when you hold it in January, you start the year with a little extra money in the budget.”

And proceeds raised from the chili cook-off, McCarley said, are put in the shelter’s general budget and will be used directly for the children and or on maintenance of the facility.

Each year, the Warren County Children’s Shelter serves more than 100 children and McCarley said without the proceeds from the event, they would not get to do a lot of things they do without the extra money.

The Chili For Children cook-off is sponsored by the Radio People and Lady Luck Casino, and this year there will be 27 teams competing, radio station manager Deloris Evans said.

“All the teams are local,” she said, with about 15 teams returning from last year’s cook-off and 21 new competitors.

Evans said The Radio People have been involved with the fundraiser since its inception.

“It all started about nine years ago with the Abate biker group, and the first year it was as Vicksburg Cycles, and we helped promote it, Evans said.

“After that they asked The Radio People if they wanted to take the event and make it bigger and the next couple of years we had the event at the Guaranty Bank,” she said.

After outgrowing the venue, Evans said the cook-off was then moved to the Lady Luck Arena, where attendance ranges from 1500 to 2,000 people.

Admission is $10 a person for all the chili you can eat and free for ages 10 and younger.

This year, Evans said all of the children’s events are free, and will include bouncy houses, face painting, balloon animal arts and a few new activities.

Also, a 65-inch Sharp Smart T.V. with Roku will also be auctioned off. Tickets are $5 and you do not have to be present to win.

Slaphappy and D. J. Burks will provide music through out the day and the Vicksburg Car Cruisers will also be on-site, bringing about 40 cars, Evans said.

“This is going to be four hours of a lot of fun,” she said.