A week ago, on October 29^th, Franklin’s Main Street was closed for the 28^th Annual Pumpkinfest. It was the largest ever! Throngs of witches, goblins, super-heroes and princesses were seen everwhere….. and Bob Parks Realty was there! Our office was one of 11 participants in the Chili Cook Off! We had prepared weeks earlier by having our own Chili Cookoff in the office….. six hearty souls brought in their offerings and the rest of us blindly tasted and commented on them all and the concoction artfully crafted by Kathy Hardcastle (agent Loy Hardcastle’s wife) was chosen! After that honor, she agreed to make the full 21 gallons of chili for us!

Can you imagine that undertaking…… The week preceding the Pumpkinfest they bought 80 lbs of ground beef, 120 bags of spices, 160 cans of beans… you get the picture… a ton of hard work. The day before the event, Kathy made it ALL! She then ladled it into huge pots, which various Cookoff team members took home and babied overnight. At 6 a.m. the next day, we all arose and heated our chili for the big event and proceeded down to our tent area by 8 a.m. The town was already bustling! We situated our tent between the Franklin Men’s Club and The Daily Dish and decorated it to match our theme: BAD BOB’S BONANZA CHILI…. And boy, our decorations were outstanding…. Lots of saddles, western blankets, even some cattle horns thrown in. The pictures don’t do it justice!

By 10 a.m. there were vistiors up and down Main Street, and by 11 a.m. no one could move…. The day was spectacular for the event and everyone came out to play! Some of us moved down the way to help Franklin Tomorrow sell tickets to the chili tasting…. and hot dogs for the non-chili eaters in the crowd. I was a hot dog seller. Our area was so popular that we kept running out of plates and cooked dogs… by 1 p.m. we had run out of all the water and drinks we had to sell…. I finally got a chance to break away to go on my own tasting spree and of course to VOTE for BOB PARKS! I mingled with the crown and tried to influence a few in our direction…. throwing out a few loud “ mmmmmm…..GOOD BOB PARKS CHILI” several times, but I don’t know if it did any good….. I heard we didn’t win. Actually I think the Boxwood Bistro won those honors!

Before I finish, I have to name the members of our team who worked so valiantly! Loy and Kathy Hardcastle (of course), Danny Anderson, Reid Anderson, Karen Baker, Darenda Olsen, MaryJane Cochran, Kevin Pellatrio, Fran Damer, Rachel Price, Christie Mullins, Ray and Vicki Lowe, Amy Tarter, Tom Stillman, Ryan Ryforth, and yours truly of course….. And then we also want thank people who provided props for us, Bill Butler and Pam Stevenson. And, of course, our office staff who we would be NOTHING without: Julie and Lisa Benavides, and Gaila Noland. Without the excellent team work that is our office’s Hallmark, none of it would have happened! What a great place to work!

NEXT YEAR WE WIN THAT CHILI CONTEST!

Posted by:  Charlene Kimmel

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