March 29, 2024

‘Franks’ event draws 43 entries, hundreds of eaters to courthouse

Park Centre takes home ‘biggest wiener’ award

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Cream cheese probably wouldn’t make it onto Family Feud if 100 people were surveyed about common hot-dog toppings.

However, that’s one of the ingredients the team from Park Centre retirement community used in its hot dogs at Thursday’s Thanks With Franks event in the Jasper County Courthouse square. Park Centre won the “biggest wiener” trophy after its hot-dog toppings were voted as the fan favorites on write-in votes by the public who attended.

The Young Professionals of Jasper County have put on the business appreciation and charity event since 2005, and Park Centre’s unique concoction was merely the latest in series of hot-dog innovations that has lasted a decade.

In addition to cream cheese, Park Centre’s allotment of 200 hot dogs also featured bacon, scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese and hash browns.

Accepting the trophy from YPJC President Danielle Rogers were Jennifer Flake, Jourdan Flake and Emily Baker of Park Centre.

Proceeds from the event, which featured 43 booth entries this year, go to charity. Berg Middle School students, raising funds for an upcoming trip to Washington, D.C., and the Red Pride Club manned the drinks booth, which sold soda and water for $1 each.

Rogers said she was pleased with the turnout, especially considering it was an extremely warm day. Moving the start time of the event back from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. allowed more area residents to attend, she said.

“It also allowed businesses longer to get set up,” Rogers said. “We were hoping the heat wouldn’t keep people away. It looks like we had a great turnout.”

It would be tough to estimate the crowd size, as there are no admission gates, and families came and went at different times. There were 52 businesses or organizations represented in 2014, so the event was not as big this year, but each booth went through its 200 hot dogs quickly.

Booths were not supposed to start serving food until 6 p.m., but that is a tough rule to uphold. Large groups of people made their way to the square by 5:30 p.m., and some booths had hot dogs available for the taking well before 6 p.m.

“We make an announcement for everyone to wait until 6 p.m., to make it fair for everyone,” Rogers said.

Kenny Landgrebe won the hot-dog eating contest, eating and swallowing three hot dogs faster than his half-dozen or so opponents.

The 43 entries included all types of businesses and other organizations, from the Newton Daily News to the Jasper County Democrats to banks and medical facilities.

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com