Pot Rasslers win Dutch oven cook-off for second year

GRAVETTE — Jesse Beeks, Jane Beeks and Kelley Sharp, of Farmington, calling themselves the Pot Rasslers, were first place overall winners in the sixth annual Gravette Day Dutch oven cook-off and won $150. The team also won first place in the main dish category with its pepperoni-sausage stuffed pizza, second place in the breads category with its garlic cheese rolls and second place in the dessert category with its chocolate cake. Jesse and Jane, a brother and sister team, took first place in the 2017 competition.

Culvercreek Posse, the father-son team of Jon and Jarren Tupper from Joplin, Mo., won second place overall and received $100. They also won first place in the dessert category with their maple bourbon bread pudding, second place in the main dish category with their Guinness Irish stew and third place in breads with their cracked pepper and rosemary French bread.

A Gravette team, All Fired Up, composed of Corey and Donna Taylor; their daughter Madison, 17; and their dog Dax, took third place overall and won $75. They also won first place in breads with their roasted red pepper parmesan bread, third place in the main dish category with their pork tenderloin en croute and third place in desserts with their strawberry cake.

The Pot Stirrers, the team of Margie and Marvin VanNoy; their granddaughter Emersyn VanNoy; and Margie’s sister, Marilyn Munger, won first place in the novice division and received $50. The Pot Stirrers, of Gravette, also won the people’s choice award and earned another $50 with their silver dollar potatoes, a dish containing potatoes, sweet potatoes, smoked sausage, onions and bell peppers. The people’s choice winner was determined by votes from those who participated in the cook-off tasting event.

Steve Low, a blacksmith from Gentry, set up his forge on the museum grounds, gave demonstrations during the day and sold kitchenware and tools he had made. Windy Gregory, of Goshen, set up a booth and sold bars of her Ozark Zen handmade soap.

Drawings were held for several gift baskets donated by area businesses. The museum was open and several visitors toured the Kindley home and annex. Members of the Old Town String Band performed musical numbers during the afternoon.

Westside Eagle Observer/SUSAN HOLLAND Colorful plastic balls are tossed out from the bucket of an Empire Electric Company truck and descend from the clear blue sky in the popular money drop sponsored by the Bank of Gravett. Those who scrambled fast enough to collect balls with numbers were able to exchange them for cash prizes at the bank.

Westside Eagle Observer/SUSAN HOLLAND Artist Charlotte Childs, of Bella Vista, finds a shady spot under a tree behind the old Gravette Presbyterian Church to display her paintings in pastels and fine line drawings. Childs was one of several exhibitors in the annual Gravette Day art show. The show, organized by Michael Kelley, has become a popular part of the day’s events.

Westside Eagle Observer/SUSAN HOLLAND Blacksmith Steve Low, of Gentry, set up his forge under a tree on the grounds of the Gravette Historical Museum and gave blacksmithing demonstrations during the Gravette Day Dutch oven cook-off activities. Here he waits for a piece of metal to get hot before forming it with his hammer. Low also displayed metal kitchenware and tools he has made.

Westside Eagle Observer/SUSAN HOLLAND Sue Woods, 85, of Bentonville, accepts the trophy for oldest person attending the 2018 Gravette Day celebration from Gravette Mayor Kurt Maddox. Woods is a former long-time Gravette resident and the grandmother of Gravette Day chairman Heather Finley.

Westside Eagle Observer/SUSAN HOLLAND Gravette Mayor Kurt Maddox presents the trophy for person traveling the farthest to attend Gravette Day to Brian Blumenthal of Plano, Texas. Robin (Wilmoth) Hall (left), of Grapevine, Texas, shared the trophy. Both Blumenthal and Hall returned to town for their high school class reunion.

Photo by Grace Nowak Mary Bourn, of Noel, Mo., and her “Hum Bee” attract many admiring glances as they make their way down the Gravette Day parade route. The Hum Bee, an allelectric Fiat, won the trophy for best car in the parade. Mary is well-known to many Gravette residents as a member of the Old Town String Band, which entertains in the area.