Here’s something you don’t hear at food booth—“Brats, hot dogs, soup and call 9-1-1!” No the food isn’t criminal, however the guy trying to break into Faite Mack’s house at the corner of College & Fountain was! While Scott & I stirred the soup, we glanced out Jack’s kitchen window and observed a man trying to open the sliding patio door on the back deck. Since the house is listed for sale, we assumed that Faite had someone there working. After all it’s Saturday the height of the home tour. Realizing that this was an attempted burglary, we called 911, and the Food Booth Crew surrounded the house, waiting for the GRPD to arrive. The person was apprehended with the assistance of NCBC members helping the cops over the fence into the enclosed back deck. Other than that, we had another smooth running food booth.

I would think by now all of us could do this in our sleep. After all, this was our 25th food booth. We sure have come along way from the early days. This event runs like a super well oiled machine. Why wouldn’t it when you have dedicated volunteers who give of themselves tirelessly every year. This year’s challenges were the heat & direct competition. It was 86 to 90 degrees, soup sales were slow and coffee and hot cider sales were non-existent, but we made up for it with brisk water and pop sales. The competition was a German Octoberfest beer & brat tent at the Voigt House.

And like years in the past, it all started with the meatball rolling party at Jack Hoppus’s. 18 pounds total. Thanks to Roberta Kok who while on vacation in the Netherlands bought the soup mix for us and packed the 24 envelopes in her luggage. Thanks to Tim Lowing for passing along his employee discount at Sysco and their kind donation of hot dogs and garden burgers.

But most of all a big THANK YOU Suzanne LaChance for opening your home for tour. What a gift, and right across from our food booth. The lines at her house were long, and we sure took advantage of it. Long time “regulars” of the tour were telling us how much they loved your home and how it was their favorite. Big hearty pats on the back’s to Jack Hoppus for the use of his place the entire weekend and Jim Boylan for saying yes again to us and the use of his home.

Thanks to everyone for your donation of time, food and support of this year’s food booth. We could not do it without all of you.