EAST FAREWELL
NEWS
Thursday, July 28,
1960 Vol. C787
LOCAL
NEWS
SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS FOR THE
SEXTANS
East Farewell – The last week of July has become the unofficial
“Barb-B-Q Week” in East
Farewell. The summer is in full swing and the grills are all working
overtime. It is also the week that the annual Bar-B-Que Cookoff on Lakefront
Plaza. This year marked the eighth annual event and it has become an eagerly
anticipated event for everyone in town. The Cookoff was divided into two
categories a couple of years ago, separating the “big grillers” or professional
and usually out of towners from the “small grillers” referring to the mostly
local and weekend griller working with a smaller, individual grill. The big
grillers would roll into town usually the night before so they could begin
setup at dawn. Most have an entire trailer filled with deluxe grills and
sometimes smokers. They also like to supply tables and benches or chairs for
their loyal, hungry followers. The small grillers are using their own patio
grills wheeled in from their porches or docks. They use mostly charcoal and in
general do not have large followings. The small grillers do set up small picnic
tables to host their family and friends who all show up for the chaotic fun on
the Plaza.
This year Tom and Bonnie Sextan from
Dunlap, Georgia won the big griller category with their legendary brisket.
The Sextans run a “Pit” down in Georgia that is very well respected throughout
all of Georgia. It has been said that people have driven 100 miles to get it.
They were invited last year by Tom’s older brother, James, a local resident.
Last year they came in second in the big grillers group and this year Tom
started a grilling a little earlier “to get a better bark on the brisket, I
think that’s what I missed last year.”
Other big
grillers were also very familiar faces, last year’s winner, Big Davey from
Fayetteville, North Carolina and Chuckie O. from Hendersonville, Tennessee and
Nate Daniels from nearby Youngstown (whose local baseball team, the Steelers,
was scheduled to play the Travelers later in the evening) rolled into town on
Friday night and was greeted by local fans that treated them like family. “I
always love coming up here. Ya’ll are the greatest group of northerners I have
ever met. It is like visiting relatives, everyone is just so darn nice, I love
ya’ll to death,” laughed Chuckie O as he supervised setting up his grill on
Saturday morning as the sun just started to rise over the lake.
The small
grillers started their setup a little later in the morning seeing as they had
less to do but by 11:00 the Plaza was smoking. The sweet smell of beef and
chicken swirled through the air and there were hints of fish and even venison
thrown in for variety. People milled around the Plaza and many sat at their
favorite big grillers table in hope a getting some tasty extras as the cooking
went on. The only local big griller was Al Davis from the Lost Oasis restaurant
put out his locally famous baby back ribs with his Uncle Ray’s secret family
sauce and had a big following at his table. This year the judging was scheduled
for 5:00 so the guest judges and Travelers baseball players, Buzz “The Burner”
Barnett and “Big Bob” Tillman, could make it over to the stadium for the 7:30
start of the ball game. The other judge was local chef, Laura Driscoll who runs
small restaurant and catering business in town.
The judging
began with the small grillers first and each contestant brought up their entry
to the judges table. Each plate was meticulously prepared and presented and the
judges carefully looked over each plate made small notes before digging in.
Barnett and Tillman seemed not as concerned with the presentation as with the
taste of the offering while Driscoll, the only judge with any culinary
credentials was more concerned with the complete package. All three judges
enjoyed their task and each other immensely. When the big grillers started to
present the fans swelled around the judging stand. Each group tried to
influence the judges with words of praise and comments on the superb technique
of their favorite griller. While laughing and joking with the crowd the
judges did not let the crowd influence their opinion. “Buzz and I are used to
the crowd noise, it didn’t change our minds at all and Lara is just too
professional to let that happen,” laughed Tillman after the judging.
This year the
small griller prize went to Missy Waller for her baby back ribs drenched in
sauce. Jimmy Drake came in second with his local favorite brisket. Joey O’Shea,
who last year surprised everyone with his bar-b-que venison, again surprised
everyone with bar-b-que trout fresh caught from Lake Charles on Friday. “I just
thought it would be cool to have some real local flavor in this competition,”
said O’Shea after the judging. In the big griller category the Sextans were
winner with a unanimous vote. The brisket was “tender but firm” and “full of
flavor” according to the “official” statement by the judges. Both Tom and
Bonnie took the stage to accept the trophy. “We are a team, we always have been
and we always will be. This is one of the best wins we have ever had. We love
coming up here and we love all you people in town. Ya’ll have opened up your
beautiful town to us and we are very grateful. We also love that you ate all
our brisket,” said Tom from the judging stand hoisting the trophy over his
head.
After the
judging was over Barnett and Tillman and a good number of other Travelers who
had come to the event just as spectators led a large group down Lake Shore
Drive over to the stadium. The fan bought leftovers and the players went into
the clubhouse to prepare for the game. Back on the Plaza break down and cleanup
commenced almost immediately after the awards ended. Another successful and
senses stimulating event will be remembered by many.
The Sextans
show off their winning dish
SPORTS
OVERFED TRAVELERS SQUEAK OUT A WIN
East Farewell- Both the Travelers and
the Youngstown Steelers were at an equal disadvantage at the start of Saturday
night’s game. Both teams had had many players attend the annual Bar-B-Que
Cookoff earlier in the day. Both teams indulged in the tempting, sweet and smoked
delights that were offered by all the grillers. Many of the Youngstown players
gathered around their favorite son, Nate Daniels, to sample his offerings of
ribs, chicken and all the fixings. The Travelers milled around the Plaza
attracting adoring attention from local fans. They all sampled many other the
different offerings and spent the day relaxing and overeating. Pitching ace,
Buzz Barnet and Bob Tilman were judges leaving manager Sam Fowler somewhat
chagrined because both were scheduled to play, Barnett pitching and Tilman in
center.
The
Cookoff judging took place around 5:30 and after everything was over and the
trophies were given out Barnett, Tilman, a host of Travelers and almost the
entire Youngstown team along with a menagerie of fans all walked the mile and a
half trek down Lake Shore Drive, parade like, over to the stadium. It was quite
a scene.
The
game started right on time but both teams looked like they could have used
naps. Steeler’s pitcher, Bart Dayton, walked Dunham and Watson after Ralph
Francis had grounded out to second. Johnny Cloos came up and the fans were
expecting a big blast from the slugger but they were disappointed when the big
man struck out on a low and away fastball. Dunham and Watson remained stranded
as Dimero end the inning hitting into a fielder’s choice. Barnett took the
mound in the bottom of the first and was just as sleepy as Dayton. He walked leadoff
batter, Ned Burns, but was able to strike out the next batter and force
Steeler’s slugger, Joe Welsh, to hit into a double play. The game continued at
its own lackluster pace but the fans didn’t seem to care. They were overfed,
too. They would clap and cheer but there wasn’t the frantic excitement that
usually occurs during a game.
It
wasn’t until the eighth inning that “Big Bob” Tilman came up and after
receiving some jeers from Steelers fans for his apparent overlooking of their
favorite griller, Nate Daniels; he took Dayton to a 3-2 count and on the next
pitch slammed a long homerun out of the park in center. The Traveler fans loved
it and gave him a standing ovation. The Youngstown fans were more subdued.
Regardless, the blast was enough to put the Travelers on top to stay. After
that Barnett seemed to come to life and he struck out the side in the ninth.
“It wasn’t pretty and I think we may have been having too good a time at the
cook off, but Bobby was able to come through big time and things came out OK
for us,” said Barnett after the game.
The Travelers
finish their home stand next week against the Erie Eagles. It has been a very
strong home stand so far; they have won all their games and now sit in second
place in the league. The Erie Eagles have hit a rough spot in their schedule.
They will be coming into town after playing five games on the road and losing
three. The game will begin at 4:05 in the afternoon in the Travelers Stadium.
NATIONAL NEWS
NIXON IS REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE – NIXON
WILLING TO DEBATE KENNEDY – US DECLARES RUSSIA PUSHED PLANE OFF COURSE – STATE DEPARTMENT ACCUSES SOVIET EMBASSY OF SPYING –
FIRST FEMALE PRIME MINISTER SWORN IN
At
the Republican convention in Chicago, Richard Nixon is acclaimed the Republican
candidate for President. A few hours after the nomination, Nixon tapped Henry
Cabot Lodge, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations to be his running mate.
Senator Barry Goldwater was placed in nomination despite his wishes, but he
promptly withdrew.
Vice
President Richard Nixon says he is willing to jointly debate campaign issues
with Senator Kennedy, but he wants assurance that any joint appearances of the
men would not primarily be a show - the debate must focus on “great issues
rather than between two debaters or two personalities”
Senator
John Kennedy said he planned to watch some of the Republican National
Convention on television. “I’ll give it the same attention that Nixon gave ours”
The
United States declares it has scientific proof the Russians deliberately pushed
a U.S. RB-47 plane off its course and shot it down over international waters in
a “criminal and reckless act of piracy.” The incident took place July 1.
The
State Department accuses a Soviet Embassy official of spying and asks him to
leave the United States immediately. The department says, Petr Ezhov had been
buying aerial photographs of strategic target areas in the U.S. The Soviet aid
was said to have paid a commercial photographer $1,000 for intelligence data,
including aerial pictures of cities.
First
female Prime Minister - Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike becomes the first
woman premier of a modern parliamentary government and is sworn-in as the
Prime Minister of Ceylon.
Many, many
thanks to www.mrpopculture.com for
contributing to this section of the East Farewell News.
