NATCHEZ &8212; The rivalries get hotter each year &8212; maybe hotter than the chili prepared by competing teams for the annual Broadway Bash Chili Cook-off taking place Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Rosalie Bicentennial Gardens on Broadway Street.

The Adams County Sheriff&8217;s Office is out to get the Natchez Fire Department, but Stan Owens of the NFD is not concerned.

&8220;They keep trying to cook chili each year,&8221; Owens said. &8220;We&8217;re still waiting for them to bring some chili. I&8217;ve seen spaghetti sauce, taco sauce but not any chili.&8221;

It is a rivalry that is growing, said Melinda Stanley of the sheriff&8217;s office.

&8220;We have as our main goal to beat the fire department,&8221; she said.

All kidding and rivalry aside, Owens and Stanley agreed the most important thing is to raise money for the Natchez Children&8217;s Home Services.

&8220;The money we raise goes to the Children&8217;s Home, a fantastic organization,&8221; Stanley said. &8220;Anything we can do to help the children is great. We&8217;re all for it. That even takes precedence over beating the fire department.&8221;

Gail Frisby of the Natchez Police Department said her department wants to stay neutral.

They are having a hard time, however. &8220;Jody Waldrop used to be our chili cook. And now he&8217;s at the sheriff&8217;s office. We might have to get in on some of that rivalry,&8221; Frisby said.

A new team has formed at the police department, with Perry Bruce serving as chili cook, she said.

&8220;We just hope a lot of people will stop by our booth and sample our chili,&8221; Frisby said.

Pots will be stirred all through the morning at the sheriff&8217;s booth. &8220;This is a new recipe this year,&8221; Stanley said.

That didn&8217;t change Owens&8217; mind, however. &8220;I&8217;m going to bring my tortilla shells for the sheriff&8217;s department&8217;s chili,&8221; he said.

The chili cook-off has been an important fundraiser for years, said Joe Mitchell of the Children&8217;s Home Services.

Recently, the nonprofit agency made a slight change to its name, adding &8220;services&8221; as part of the name to indicate some recent expansions at the Children&8217;s Home.

In addition to serving as a home for children whose families cannot care for them, the agency also offers a pre-school day treatment program, a family therapy counseling service and a foster care placement service that has been expanded.

The Children&8217;s Home also offers day school for children unable to attend regular public school classes.

The cook-off began in the 1980s, started by Children&8217;s Home supporter Mike Ash, and was held at Liberty Park. It has grown from only several contestant teams to more than 20 teams.

Ruthie Hinton of Callon Petroleum is chairman of the chili cook-off.