Lonny Shawver has made it his personal vendetta to clinch the title of overall best chili in State College.

This Saturday, Shawver will be one of the cooks competing in the third annual Chili Cook-off and Salsa Festival. The event is part of State College's ninth annual Fall Festival, hosted by the Downtown State College Improvement District.

Hometown chefs, restaurants and businesses will face off for the title of "Best Chili" and a reward of $200. Tickets are $5 and include admission to the Fall Festival as well as unlimited chili tasting. A dessert contest will also take place.

The Chili Cook-off will have three divisions -- hometown chef, business/nonprofit and restaurant, said Jody Alessandrine, executive director of the Downtown State College Improvement District. The chili will be judged by festival-goers and a panel of "celebrity judges," including two of the three county commissioners and Mayor Bill Welch, he added.

In last year's competition, Shawver, a Boalsburg resident and owner of Shawver Building and Remodeling, was awarded hometown chef winner of both the people's and judges' choices. However, he was defeated for the overall award by Texas Roadhouse, 1885 Waddle Road.

"The only reason we lost is because we ran out of chili," he said referring to his attempt to win the title last year, which came up 36 votes short.

Besides earning rights to State College's best chili, Alessandrine said the Fall Festival is an effort to bring the community together and attract people to the downtown area.

"It is a neat way to get participation from restaurants as well as businesses, charitable organizations and what we call 'hometown chefs,' " he said.

Krystina Hondzinski, the local store marketer for Texas Roadhouse, said customers were excited to try the chili.

"Customers definitely bought a lot more, and our sales went up," she said.

Shawver, however, is just in it for the title and the entertainment value.

"I love to have fun," Shawver said. "It's about the camaraderie."