By ANNE KAZMIERCZAK
Register Reporter
one 4-col. pic
If Carolyn McLean has her way, Iola’s Elm Creek Community Gardens will be in every traveler’s eye.
“I’d love a sign along the highway directing people to us,” she said.
Why the proposed hullabaloo? Elm Creek once again has found the spotlight, this time in the form of a research project/grant through the Shieflebusch Lifespan Institute of the University of Kansas.
“They selected us as the prototype community garden for the state of Kansas,” McLean said of the organization, which is pursuing “the establishment or expansion of five community gardens across the state,” she said.
“They want people who want to start community gardens to come and see us because they believe we’ve done everything right,” McLean said proudly.
McLean said researchers Sarah Sack and Patty Moore discovered Elm Creek through a link on the American Community Garden Association website. Elm Creek is a member of the group.
“So they came down and met us and were blown away by the garden,” she noted.
“After they visited a couple times and asked us to participate (in their research project) they asked us ‘What can we do to help?’”
“We told them, ‘We need shelter,’” McLean said.
The group has offered ECCG a grant to build two picnic/shade shelters, purchase two light-weight Mantis tillers for gardeners’ use, and purchase a four-wheeled wheelbarrow that is easier to handle for those with mobility or strength issues, McLean said.
“Most grants don’t pay for bricks and mortar,” she noted.
For their part, Elm Creek gardeners were asked to participate in a survey about gardening, physical health and socialization habits.
“Questions included how many people a day do you talk with, how often do you interact with people of a different background, how much gardening knowledge you had, and about any physical disabilities or health conditions,” McLean said.
The institute wants to learn if gardening helps people live longer, McLean noted. It’s studying mental health and whether individuals’ stress level is reduced through gardening, and if gardening helps increase socialization opportunities for those who, like seniors or the disabled, might otherwise live a more isolated life, she said.
Gardeners at Elm Creek were happy to assist.
The Institute sought 30 survey participants, McLean noted; 43 responded. “We just sent the surveys in Monday,” she said. A follow up survey will be conducted in August, to learn if the gardens had nutritional impacts on the target population as well.
Sack noted the study is funded through the United States Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration, which seeks employment opportunities for “persons with health conditions and disabilities.”
Because the study also focused on recreational opportunities, gardening was a natural fit, Sack said.
Gardeners can sell their produce to grocery stores or at farmers markets, Sack said, meeting the employment objective. Socialization through a community garden setting meets the recreation side of the study, she noted.
“We wanted both community gardens that were fully established and those just starting,” for the study, Sack said. Also included in the study are an established garden in Hutchinson, a one-year old garden in Wichita, and brand new gardens in Parsons and Fort Riley.
The Fort Riley garden is for returning veterans, Sack said. “It’s for wounded warriors,” she noted.
In Parsons, “we have 14 year olds who come out, whose families don’t garden, but they want to,” she said. “We have people in wheelchairs.
“We learned a lot from the other gardens, including Elm Creek,” she said of the newly-established 189-plot Parsons garden.
All together, Sack said, “our goal was 150 gardeners across the state,” for the study. “We have 370 registered gardeners with health or disability issues,” she said. “It’s amazing.”
7.12.10
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Iolan receives scholarship
Iolan Madison Ford received a $3,000 Kansas Law Enforcement Association Scholarship Monday, winning out over 27 other candidates throughout the state.
The KLEA John Foster Memorial Scholarship is offered to a son or daughter of a current Kansas law enforcement officer who is a graduating high school senior seeking to attend an accredited Kansas university or college.
Ford is the daughter of Iola police officer Mike Ford and his wife, Nancy. She intends to enter Pittsburg State University in the fall as a junior after graduating jointly from Allen County Community College and Iola High School in May. Ford, 18, intends to study pre-med at PSU followed by medical school at the University of Kansas with the ultimate goal of becoming an emergency psychiatrist.
The scholarship honors the late John Foster, former Lenexa police chief and Johnson County sheriff.
The Foster scholarship is the largest offered by the KLEA, said Ed Pavey, director of the University of Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center. “Most law enforcement scholarships are in the $500 to $1,000 range,” he said.
7.20.10
The KLEA John Foster Memorial Scholarship is offered to a son or daughter of a current Kansas law enforcement officer who is a graduating high school senior seeking to attend an accredited Kansas university or college.
Ford is the daughter of Iola police officer Mike Ford and his wife, Nancy. She intends to enter Pittsburg State University in the fall as a junior after graduating jointly from Allen County Community College and Iola High School in May. Ford, 18, intends to study pre-med at PSU followed by medical school at the University of Kansas with the ultimate goal of becoming an emergency psychiatrist.
The scholarship honors the late John Foster, former Lenexa police chief and Johnson County sheriff.
The Foster scholarship is the largest offered by the KLEA, said Ed Pavey, director of the University of Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center. “Most law enforcement scholarships are in the $500 to $1,000 range,” he said.
7.20.10
Painless picking — octogenarian expands berry farm
By ANNE KAZMIERCZAK
Register Reporter
2 pics
Long before the term was coined, Jim Smith believed in multi-tasking.
The former barber, who retired after 46 years in the business, also was a full time farmer.
Now, he’s a budding berry grower with a “you pick” operation that’s just two years old.
Smith began raising blackberries after passing through El Dorado a few years back and stopping at a pick-your-own operation there.
“He had 1,000 plants at least,” Smith said of the venture, called “Blackberry Heaven.”
“I asked what he’d charge for information, and he came back out with a handful of pamphlets,” Smith said of the operation’s owner.
Armed with new knowledge, Smith said he immediately sent away for 50 thornless blackberries.
Intent on keeping his fledgling crop secure, Smith took up a spray can with what he thought was insecticide.
“But I picked up the wrong one,” Smith said. “I killed them all. I sprayed them with Roundup.”
Undeterred, Smith ordered 50 more plants from a grower in Massachusetts and has been more cautious with his enthusiasm.
It’s worked. Trained on lines to keep them upright, Smith now has two 215-foot rows of bearing canes. All are thick with ripe berries and a bounty of red ones yet to darken.
With the onset of hot, dry weather, ripening will be rapid. Still, Smith noted, there should be at least four weeks of picking yet to come.
Smith, who can be reached at 620-496-2581, doesn’t have a name for his business, but he’d love to see a bunch of berry enthusiasts come out to share the harvest.
“We eat a lot of our own stuff,” Smith said. “We have a lot of blackberry cobbler.”
Prepicked quarts cost $5, Smith said, while the same quantity picked yourself will cost half as much.
Picking’s easy.
A woman came out Wednesday and got eight gallons in no time, he said. There’s that much and more on the canes still.
And with no thorns to worry over, picking is painless.
“She wore gloves,” Smith said of Wednesday’s visitor, probably to ward off any juice stains.
Marvelously, Smith’s berry variety is firm fleshed and doesn’t burst when plucked. Fingers stay clean, even when grasping dark blue jewels.
And they’re huge — easy to see, easy to grasp. A typical berry is larger than a thumb.
BLACKBERRIES are not Smith’s first venture into you-pick farming.
He and his wife, Helen, used to have fields of strawberries, he said. As those berries played out and Helen was less able to help care for crops, they plowed them under, he said.
Strawberries have a productive life of about three years. Blackberries keep growing.
Each year, the bearing cane must be cut out after fruiting. Each year, along with that cane, the bush makes what looks to be an empty branch. That branch will bear fruit the following year, Smith said.
Beneath the rows Smith lays wood chips “To hold in the moisture. And when it’s muddy you can still pick out here anyway,” he noted.
He also has a trick for propagation.
“Stick the end (of a cane) into the ground.” A new cane will sprout a little way away from the branch tip. That shoot can be transplanted to form new bushes.
Smith has moved 61 such baby bushes this year, he said. By next year, he will have a third row for picking.
Smith, 85, hasn’t considered not farming.
“I just like to do something,” he said.
In the past, he raised 85 sows on his 120 acres.
“We had little pigs all over the place,” he said of the breeding operation.
Fescue pasture also changed over time.
“I planted it to wheat one year and it made over 100 bushels an acre — that was when wheat was $5 a bushel,” Smith noted.
Now, that same ground is growing blackberries.
Smith’s farm is at 2981 Idaho Road. The easiest way to get there, he said, is through LaHarpe.
Head south on Main Street and go six miles from Highway 54. Turn east from 2600 Road onto Idaho — there’s a log cabin at the corner for a landmark.
Come anytime, Smith said, just call first to be sure there’s ripe berries on the vine.
7.22.10
Register Reporter
2 pics
Long before the term was coined, Jim Smith believed in multi-tasking.
The former barber, who retired after 46 years in the business, also was a full time farmer.
Now, he’s a budding berry grower with a “you pick” operation that’s just two years old.
Smith began raising blackberries after passing through El Dorado a few years back and stopping at a pick-your-own operation there.
“He had 1,000 plants at least,” Smith said of the venture, called “Blackberry Heaven.”
“I asked what he’d charge for information, and he came back out with a handful of pamphlets,” Smith said of the operation’s owner.
Armed with new knowledge, Smith said he immediately sent away for 50 thornless blackberries.
Intent on keeping his fledgling crop secure, Smith took up a spray can with what he thought was insecticide.
“But I picked up the wrong one,” Smith said. “I killed them all. I sprayed them with Roundup.”
Undeterred, Smith ordered 50 more plants from a grower in Massachusetts and has been more cautious with his enthusiasm.
It’s worked. Trained on lines to keep them upright, Smith now has two 215-foot rows of bearing canes. All are thick with ripe berries and a bounty of red ones yet to darken.
With the onset of hot, dry weather, ripening will be rapid. Still, Smith noted, there should be at least four weeks of picking yet to come.
Smith, who can be reached at 620-496-2581, doesn’t have a name for his business, but he’d love to see a bunch of berry enthusiasts come out to share the harvest.
“We eat a lot of our own stuff,” Smith said. “We have a lot of blackberry cobbler.”
Prepicked quarts cost $5, Smith said, while the same quantity picked yourself will cost half as much.
Picking’s easy.
A woman came out Wednesday and got eight gallons in no time, he said. There’s that much and more on the canes still.
And with no thorns to worry over, picking is painless.
“She wore gloves,” Smith said of Wednesday’s visitor, probably to ward off any juice stains.
Marvelously, Smith’s berry variety is firm fleshed and doesn’t burst when plucked. Fingers stay clean, even when grasping dark blue jewels.
And they’re huge — easy to see, easy to grasp. A typical berry is larger than a thumb.
BLACKBERRIES are not Smith’s first venture into you-pick farming.
He and his wife, Helen, used to have fields of strawberries, he said. As those berries played out and Helen was less able to help care for crops, they plowed them under, he said.
Strawberries have a productive life of about three years. Blackberries keep growing.
Each year, the bearing cane must be cut out after fruiting. Each year, along with that cane, the bush makes what looks to be an empty branch. That branch will bear fruit the following year, Smith said.
Beneath the rows Smith lays wood chips “To hold in the moisture. And when it’s muddy you can still pick out here anyway,” he noted.
He also has a trick for propagation.
“Stick the end (of a cane) into the ground.” A new cane will sprout a little way away from the branch tip. That shoot can be transplanted to form new bushes.
Smith has moved 61 such baby bushes this year, he said. By next year, he will have a third row for picking.
Smith, 85, hasn’t considered not farming.
“I just like to do something,” he said.
In the past, he raised 85 sows on his 120 acres.
“We had little pigs all over the place,” he said of the breeding operation.
Fescue pasture also changed over time.
“I planted it to wheat one year and it made over 100 bushels an acre — that was when wheat was $5 a bushel,” Smith noted.
Now, that same ground is growing blackberries.
Smith’s farm is at 2981 Idaho Road. The easiest way to get there, he said, is through LaHarpe.
Head south on Main Street and go six miles from Highway 54. Turn east from 2600 Road onto Idaho — there’s a log cabin at the corner for a landmark.
Come anytime, Smith said, just call first to be sure there’s ripe berries on the vine.
7.22.10
Big givers help new shelter
Iola Senior Citizens, Inc. presented Allen County Animal Rescue Facility with $500, “the latest installment” in donations amounting to $4,000 over the past year and a half, said Senior Citizens volunteer CeCe Huston.
Joe Hess, another Senior volunteer, noted “ACARF is one of 15 organizations we donate to regularly.”
Iola Senior Citizens raises money through sales — predominantly of used clothing — at its thrift shop on North State Street.
“ACARF is honored to be supported by Iola Senior Citizens,” said Art Chapman, ACARF board president. “We really appreciate their efforts.”
“It’s a very worthy cause,” Hess said of the low-kill animal shelter which opened quietly this month. A grand opening will be scheduled at a later date, Chapman added.
Joe Hess, another Senior volunteer, noted “ACARF is one of 15 organizations we donate to regularly.”
Iola Senior Citizens raises money through sales — predominantly of used clothing — at its thrift shop on North State Street.
“ACARF is honored to be supported by Iola Senior Citizens,” said Art Chapman, ACARF board president. “We really appreciate their efforts.”
“It’s a very worthy cause,” Hess said of the low-kill animal shelter which opened quietly this month. A grand opening will be scheduled at a later date, Chapman added.
Small livestock big responsibility
By ANNE KAZMIERCZAK
Register Reporter
2 pics
Because they’re smaller, rabbits and chickens often aren’t considered as challenging to raise as larger livestock. But for Allen County 4-Hers, lesser size does not equate to lesser care or responsibility.
Katie McEndree has been raising rabbits for about five years. Three of her entrants in Monday’s rabbit show she’s had as long.
“How long they live depends on the breed and how well you care for them,” McEndree noted.
It’s not necessarily easy.
“I had one die here two years ago form heat stroke,” she said. “She was my favorite bunny.”
To prevent a similar occurrence this year, McEndree is putting ice bottles — frozen water bottles — in each cage. The rabbits lie against them to keep cool. Also, she said, she ensures they have plenty of fresh water each day, and uses fans to keep the air moving around the rabbits.
In her years raising rabbits, McEndree has learned much about different breeds and the standards they must meet to become champions. One of her rabbits, Hunter, a Holland lop, is a former grand champion.
This will be the last fair for McEndree, who turned 19 this year. She hopes to continue raising rabbits, nonetheless, “If I can fit it into my schedule,” she said.
She also works at Gates Manufacturing and will be attending Allen County Community College for pre-veterinary medicine come fall. She has horses to care for, as well.
Mercedes Trollope is a relatively recent comer to the art of raising rabbits. She’s had her Flemish giant, “Marshmallow,” for two years now.
Marshmallow was bred and sold by the Allen family — who also had rabbits at Monday’s show — just before the doe was named grand champion at the 2008 Allen County Fair.
“It was rather disappointing,” noted Casey Allen, 11, whose entrants this year included a young Flemish giant that already was the size of a full grown Dutch rabbit.
The Allens (Casey has a twin sister, Stevie), raise rabbits solely for 4-H. If they sell, “We donate half the sales price back to the baby barn,” noted mom Amanda.
Casey and Stevie take the showmanship portion of the rabbit show seriously. They groom their rabbits beforehand, and are careful in their handling of the animals. The 11-year-old twins have been raising rabbits about three years, they said.
Jack Colborn, Chanute, is the rabbit judge. He’s been at it 20 to 25 years, he said, and raised rabbits about 35 years before his health disallowed the practice. He still loves the animals, though, and tries to teach the 4-Hers as much as possible through his judging process.
The American Rabbit Breeders Association recognizes 48 breeds with specified standards of perfection for each, Colborn noted. He explained to growers the features — both good and bad — of each rabbit he judged.
A stickler for the standards, Colborn gave out few blue ribbons, but plenty of white ones.
Some rabbits, although beautiful to the untrained eye, were simply too heavy for their breed class. Others had color imperfections or too-slender hips.
Through it all, the young livestock raisers were attentive and pragmatic.
Allen’s young Flemish giant was a bit too small this year, but next year offers another chance, she said.
FOR POULTRY lovers, Monday’s poultry show offered a variety of breeds, from stocky “dual purpose” meat and egg hens to a slender chocolate runner duck and frizzy-haired Polish crested rooster.
Judge Jim Kramer, of Parsons, was more forgiving than Colborn had been. Going from cage to cage, he told the eager audience what made a good bird, what to look for in trying to raise a champion and why some were blue ribbon, rather than purple, poultry.
A set of three buff Orpington pullets received a purple for their uniform size, their demeanor and good feather form despite the heat.
Between two white rock hens, Kramer explained that one was close to champion material — she held herself well, she had smooth feathers and she walked upright, again despite the heat. The other, he noted, while larger, was more ruffled in appearance.
Stevie Allen noted that her hens — granite-colored silver lace Wyandottes — lived in their goat pen amongst the goats. “Sometimes they’ll sit on the goats backs,” she noted.
One, Casey Allen said, was named Helicopter for her habit of flying up and down off the goats’ backs.
Kramer, too, took the time to teach the youths about proper handling of the birds and how to present them in the future.
After judging, he held a brief impromptu lesson for the youth on the topics.
In showmanship, all got blue ribbons.
Register Reporter
2 pics
Because they’re smaller, rabbits and chickens often aren’t considered as challenging to raise as larger livestock. But for Allen County 4-Hers, lesser size does not equate to lesser care or responsibility.
Katie McEndree has been raising rabbits for about five years. Three of her entrants in Monday’s rabbit show she’s had as long.
“How long they live depends on the breed and how well you care for them,” McEndree noted.
It’s not necessarily easy.
“I had one die here two years ago form heat stroke,” she said. “She was my favorite bunny.”
To prevent a similar occurrence this year, McEndree is putting ice bottles — frozen water bottles — in each cage. The rabbits lie against them to keep cool. Also, she said, she ensures they have plenty of fresh water each day, and uses fans to keep the air moving around the rabbits.
In her years raising rabbits, McEndree has learned much about different breeds and the standards they must meet to become champions. One of her rabbits, Hunter, a Holland lop, is a former grand champion.
This will be the last fair for McEndree, who turned 19 this year. She hopes to continue raising rabbits, nonetheless, “If I can fit it into my schedule,” she said.
She also works at Gates Manufacturing and will be attending Allen County Community College for pre-veterinary medicine come fall. She has horses to care for, as well.
Mercedes Trollope is a relatively recent comer to the art of raising rabbits. She’s had her Flemish giant, “Marshmallow,” for two years now.
Marshmallow was bred and sold by the Allen family — who also had rabbits at Monday’s show — just before the doe was named grand champion at the 2008 Allen County Fair.
“It was rather disappointing,” noted Casey Allen, 11, whose entrants this year included a young Flemish giant that already was the size of a full grown Dutch rabbit.
The Allens (Casey has a twin sister, Stevie), raise rabbits solely for 4-H. If they sell, “We donate half the sales price back to the baby barn,” noted mom Amanda.
Casey and Stevie take the showmanship portion of the rabbit show seriously. They groom their rabbits beforehand, and are careful in their handling of the animals. The 11-year-old twins have been raising rabbits about three years, they said.
Jack Colborn, Chanute, is the rabbit judge. He’s been at it 20 to 25 years, he said, and raised rabbits about 35 years before his health disallowed the practice. He still loves the animals, though, and tries to teach the 4-Hers as much as possible through his judging process.
The American Rabbit Breeders Association recognizes 48 breeds with specified standards of perfection for each, Colborn noted. He explained to growers the features — both good and bad — of each rabbit he judged.
A stickler for the standards, Colborn gave out few blue ribbons, but plenty of white ones.
Some rabbits, although beautiful to the untrained eye, were simply too heavy for their breed class. Others had color imperfections or too-slender hips.
Through it all, the young livestock raisers were attentive and pragmatic.
Allen’s young Flemish giant was a bit too small this year, but next year offers another chance, she said.
FOR POULTRY lovers, Monday’s poultry show offered a variety of breeds, from stocky “dual purpose” meat and egg hens to a slender chocolate runner duck and frizzy-haired Polish crested rooster.
Judge Jim Kramer, of Parsons, was more forgiving than Colborn had been. Going from cage to cage, he told the eager audience what made a good bird, what to look for in trying to raise a champion and why some were blue ribbon, rather than purple, poultry.
A set of three buff Orpington pullets received a purple for their uniform size, their demeanor and good feather form despite the heat.
Between two white rock hens, Kramer explained that one was close to champion material — she held herself well, she had smooth feathers and she walked upright, again despite the heat. The other, he noted, while larger, was more ruffled in appearance.
Stevie Allen noted that her hens — granite-colored silver lace Wyandottes — lived in their goat pen amongst the goats. “Sometimes they’ll sit on the goats backs,” she noted.
One, Casey Allen said, was named Helicopter for her habit of flying up and down off the goats’ backs.
Kramer, too, took the time to teach the youths about proper handling of the birds and how to present them in the future.
After judging, he held a brief impromptu lesson for the youth on the topics.
In showmanship, all got blue ribbons.
Hot time to be had at cookoff
By ANNE KAZMIERCZAK
Register Reporter
There’s more to official barbecue than pouring sauce on meat.
The 2010 Allen County Fair’s barbecue cookoff is a Kansas City Barbeque Society sanctioned event. That means contestants are serious about what, for others, is a simple backyard hobby, said organizer Katy Donovan.
“Ours is a state championship,” Donovan said. “The governor has issued a proclamation.”
And, the fair grand champion is invited to participate in the national American Royal Barbecue Oct. 2-3 in Kansas City, Mo., Donovan said.
“We’re one of the last contests (of the year) they can participate in” to qualify for the event, Donovan noted.
Those stakes lure former award winners to Iola, Donovan said. “KCBS is a big deal.”
This is the sixth year the cookoff has been held at the fair, and the second year the contest has been KCBS sanctioned.
“The cookoff starts Friday night, anytime after their meat is inspected.”
All cooking is done at Riverside park, in specially designed — and expensive — trailers that the barbecue aficionados haul with them from contest to contest each weekend throughout the region.
“Most of these contestants have typically done this for years and they’ve spent a fortune on their equipment,” Donovan said.
Contestants cook chicken, beef brisket, pork and ribs over smoke for judging.
“There’s no actual fire anywhere near the meat,” Donovan explained.
Competitors come from other communities and other states.
“These people plan these (trips) out starting in January. It’s a society of its own.”
Yet in the traveling world of competitive barbecue, Iola is highly ranked.
“We offer them free electricity, free water, free ice. We have the pool, the park, the shade; restrooms are open. They’re well taken care of,” Donovan said.
And, she noted, “we’ll have an ice cream social for contestants Friday night.”
THE BARBECUE community is friendly — to a point, Donovan said.
Cooks enjoy meeting with locals and shooting the breeze Friday evening, Donovan said, but come Saturday “they want to be left alone. They’re in competition mode.”
And that means business. Serious business.
One judge is brought in for every contestant. They are kept secluded from the cooks.
The contest is a double blind — cooks never know who judged them, and judges have no idea whose food they’ve tasted.
Each contestant receives four labeled containers, Donovan said, to place their product in. Containers are then relabeled before being passed on to judges, ensuring total anonymity.
“They take this very, very seriously,” Donovan said.
And well they should. Besides the specialized equipment needed, contestants buy their own meats and pay an entry fee of $115.
“This makes money for the fair, but it’s not a spectator sport,” Donovan said.
There is also a $3,500 pot surrounding the contest. The grand prize winner gets $1,000. The reserve champion receives $500. Even tenth-place winners receive $10 and a ribbon, Donovan said.
All winners are announced at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. After that, contestants pack up, put their remaining food on ice, and hit the road, back home or to the next sanctioned event.
For those who would like a taste of the smoke, barbecue meals prepared by Iola’s own Steve Hoyt will be available for $5 on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the New Commuting Building. A pulled pork sandwich, chips and a pickle are included in the price. Drinks will be available. All meal proceeds go back to the fair.
Register Reporter
There’s more to official barbecue than pouring sauce on meat.
The 2010 Allen County Fair’s barbecue cookoff is a Kansas City Barbeque Society sanctioned event. That means contestants are serious about what, for others, is a simple backyard hobby, said organizer Katy Donovan.
“Ours is a state championship,” Donovan said. “The governor has issued a proclamation.”
And, the fair grand champion is invited to participate in the national American Royal Barbecue Oct. 2-3 in Kansas City, Mo., Donovan said.
“We’re one of the last contests (of the year) they can participate in” to qualify for the event, Donovan noted.
Those stakes lure former award winners to Iola, Donovan said. “KCBS is a big deal.”
This is the sixth year the cookoff has been held at the fair, and the second year the contest has been KCBS sanctioned.
“The cookoff starts Friday night, anytime after their meat is inspected.”
All cooking is done at Riverside park, in specially designed — and expensive — trailers that the barbecue aficionados haul with them from contest to contest each weekend throughout the region.
“Most of these contestants have typically done this for years and they’ve spent a fortune on their equipment,” Donovan said.
Contestants cook chicken, beef brisket, pork and ribs over smoke for judging.
“There’s no actual fire anywhere near the meat,” Donovan explained.
Competitors come from other communities and other states.
“These people plan these (trips) out starting in January. It’s a society of its own.”
Yet in the traveling world of competitive barbecue, Iola is highly ranked.
“We offer them free electricity, free water, free ice. We have the pool, the park, the shade; restrooms are open. They’re well taken care of,” Donovan said.
And, she noted, “we’ll have an ice cream social for contestants Friday night.”
THE BARBECUE community is friendly — to a point, Donovan said.
Cooks enjoy meeting with locals and shooting the breeze Friday evening, Donovan said, but come Saturday “they want to be left alone. They’re in competition mode.”
And that means business. Serious business.
One judge is brought in for every contestant. They are kept secluded from the cooks.
The contest is a double blind — cooks never know who judged them, and judges have no idea whose food they’ve tasted.
Each contestant receives four labeled containers, Donovan said, to place their product in. Containers are then relabeled before being passed on to judges, ensuring total anonymity.
“They take this very, very seriously,” Donovan said.
And well they should. Besides the specialized equipment needed, contestants buy their own meats and pay an entry fee of $115.
“This makes money for the fair, but it’s not a spectator sport,” Donovan said.
There is also a $3,500 pot surrounding the contest. The grand prize winner gets $1,000. The reserve champion receives $500. Even tenth-place winners receive $10 and a ribbon, Donovan said.
All winners are announced at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. After that, contestants pack up, put their remaining food on ice, and hit the road, back home or to the next sanctioned event.
For those who would like a taste of the smoke, barbecue meals prepared by Iola’s own Steve Hoyt will be available for $5 on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the New Commuting Building. A pulled pork sandwich, chips and a pickle are included in the price. Drinks will be available. All meal proceeds go back to the fair.
Bake sale offers ribbon-winning treats
By ANNE KAZMIERCZAK
Register Reporter
Sure as the fair, the annual 4-H fair bake sale will be here again Aug. 2 from 1 p.m. “until sold out,” noted Southwind Extension District Family and Consumer Sciences Agent Kathy McEwan.
“It’s one of our bigger projects,” she said of the fund-raiser whose proceeds go to support 4-H Council projects such as scholarships for day camp and summer camp, McEwan said.
Typically, about 200 entries are received, she noted.
The bake sale is unique in that purchasers are buying the actual fair entry that a 4-Her submitted for judging earlier that day.
“They’ll bring a cake and the judge will take a slice for judging and maybe another slice for display,” mcEwan noted. “What is left is put up for sale.”
Loaves of bread, plates of cookies, cupcakes, caramel rolls — all will grace the table located at the northeast corner of the Recreation Community Building near the parking lot entrance.
Award winners will be displayed nearby, so buyers can see if they’re purchasing blue-ribbon baked goods — although everything should be tasty, McEwan said.
“We always have a nice variety of items,” she said.
“Come early for the best selection,” McEwan noted, because “within the first one to two hours,” most everything is gone.
Register Reporter
Sure as the fair, the annual 4-H fair bake sale will be here again Aug. 2 from 1 p.m. “until sold out,” noted Southwind Extension District Family and Consumer Sciences Agent Kathy McEwan.
“It’s one of our bigger projects,” she said of the fund-raiser whose proceeds go to support 4-H Council projects such as scholarships for day camp and summer camp, McEwan said.
Typically, about 200 entries are received, she noted.
The bake sale is unique in that purchasers are buying the actual fair entry that a 4-Her submitted for judging earlier that day.
“They’ll bring a cake and the judge will take a slice for judging and maybe another slice for display,” mcEwan noted. “What is left is put up for sale.”
Loaves of bread, plates of cookies, cupcakes, caramel rolls — all will grace the table located at the northeast corner of the Recreation Community Building near the parking lot entrance.
Award winners will be displayed nearby, so buyers can see if they’re purchasing blue-ribbon baked goods — although everything should be tasty, McEwan said.
“We always have a nice variety of items,” she said.
“Come early for the best selection,” McEwan noted, because “within the first one to two hours,” most everything is gone.
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