All American Fun
RED OAK — A Junction Days that started ominously with a drenching thunderstorm ended ended perfectly with a well-attended street dance in front of a giant-flag draped stage.
In the 14 hours in between, downtown Red Oak came alive with large crowds enjoying the 33rd annual Junction Days that featured some new events and some of the favorite traditional ones.
Roger Vial’s smoked pork loin and ribs won first place honors in the inaugural All Aboard Barbecue contest.
Vial said the most important component to his recipe is “time and temperature.”
Using a smoker filled with applewood, Vial said he smoked the meat amount for about six hours.
He also flavored the meat with a rub containing Lowry’s seasoning salt, black pepper, chili powder and mustard.
After first starting to smoke meats two years ago, Vial said this was the first competition he has ever entered.
Kenny Newlon’s smoked salmon finished in second place, which included seven competitors.
A few hours earlier, in the annual Soapbox Derby, another newcomer stepped up and manhandled the competition, knocking off the previous four-time champion.
TC Taxidermy beat all the competition, steamrolling through the winner’s bracket undefeated in the double-elimination tournament.
After beating Allensworth Heating and Cooling in the semifinals, the blue bullet-shaped soapbox won the finals by several feet, with it’s designer, Randy Knopp, behind the wheel.
Knopp designed an entry for Ducks Unlimited last year, and it finished third. This year, he scrapped that design and went with the aerodynamic-friendly one that also came in about 100 pounds under the weight limit.
Knopp built the fiberglass frame to keep the weight down for one primary purpose.
“I built it smaller so I could drive it,” Knopp said. “It’s the first frame I’ve built out of fiberglass … and it’s pretty light. I just don’t know how well it will hold up.”
Allensworth won a neck-and-neck contest over Sellers Construction to advance to the finals, eventually finishing second.
Sellers Construction had previously won the first four Soapbox Derbies.
Allensworth finished second last year as well.
One reigning champion who will carry his title into 2012 is Darrell Williams after accurately predicting how many hot dogs he would eat in Hy-Vee’s third annual hot dog eating contest.
When asked before the contest by Hy-Vee Store Manager Mike Webb how many he would eat this year, two-time champion Williams predicted 13. And true to his word, he ate his 13 hot dogs in 10 minutes, more than 3 ahead of second place.
The 13 hot dogs also breaks his previous record of 12, set in 2010, the hot dog eating contest’s inaugural year.
Elyi Knecht, a Portland, Ore., native who happened to be visiting family in Red Oak, finished in second with nearly 10 hot dogs.
Saturday’s events started with the traditional parade at 11 a.m., postponed an hour due to the early morning storm.
The parade honored the Montgomery Court of Honor as its grand marshals, and retired teachers Jeff Button and Monica Crouch and Inman Principal Buck Laughlin as its honorary grand marshals.
While the parade was spared, several other morning activities weren’t. Rain forced the cancellation of the 10K/2 mile walk/run, Rotary Club Pancake Breakfast, an obstacle course, a performance by the Offut Air Force Band Nightwing, and a corn hole tournament.
However, once the parade started, the crowds arrived and stuck around for an afternoon and evening filled with activity.
That allowed most vendors who stuck it out a chance to generate some business.
“I’ve had a good crowd, and I’m certainly glad I came,” Kelly Willis said. He was selling decorative stones featuring professional sporting teams or university logos, and said he will most likely return in 2012.
“I go to a lot of festivals, and what I liked about this one is the continuous amount of activity there was,” he said. “They always had something going, which really helps keep the people down here.”
Other contest winners included:
Water Fights — Adult division, Red Oak Tap (Landon McAlpin, Bill Kine, Justin Mann, Jeff Hillhouse) youth, Wet and Wild, (Christian Terry, Emma Ross, Carly Crouse, Ashley Crouse.)
Bed Races — Men’s, Red Oak Tap; Co-Ed, White House Lawns and Landscaping.