Pop open some cans of beans and bust out the crockpots because the 3rd Annual Leslie Gaston Memorial Chili Cook-Off is just around the corner. This highly anticipated culinary event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 22, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. behind Ocie and Belle’s in downtown Alexander City. The cook off is much more than a competition – it’s a celebration of a really great person.

Leslie Gaston was an Alexander City native who passed away in 2015 from an amniotic fluid embolism or AFE. It is a life-threatening, acute and unexpected birth complication that can affect both mother and baby. Her daughter, Parker Ann Gaston, survived, and the chili cook-off – conceived by her sister, Kaci Patterson Letts – is a fun party that is reflective of Leslie’s fun, loving personality.