Halloween Is Cause for a Celebration in Unit 6!
Katie Lundgren
On Oct. 31, the ghosts and goblins showed up for our annual Halloween party, hosted by Dennis Krazel and Renee Strand. Food, fun, and general craziness ensued, including awards for best costumes; best female, male, and a perpetual award for the best couple. We had everything from the Flintstones and Rubbles, the Grinch, Cookie Monster, some cows, and even a couple of bears. Our neighbors did not disappoint!
Unit 6 DanceFit Halloween Party
Katie Lundgren
To start off the Halloween holiday, some of our unit 6 ladies enjoyed a dance and fitness class hosted by yours truly. We learned the “Monster Mash” and “Thriller” dances, or at least gave it a good try. There were lots of laughs and giggles and, yes, we even broke a sweat. Afterward the party continued with a delicious breakfast buffet. We hope everyone had a great Halloween.
8A Roadside Cleanup Crew
Diane Fox
On Oct. 25, the 8A road crew met to pick up trash along state route 77 between mile markers 91 and 92. Mike and Maureen Bartel, Steve Chapman, Mary Jo and Lee Stasny, Vicki Froistad, Chris and Gene Lee, Shelly Ziegler, Jeff Wise, Patty Jo Lewis, and Jerry Fox collected 14 bags of litter. It is disheartening that so many people litter. We are thankful for our volunteers!
Unit 9 Blocktoberfest!
John Nicolich
On Oct. 8, Unit 9 (widely known as the best unit ever!), held its annual Unit 9 Block Party. Our unit is arbitrarily split by Robson Circle with the northern portion referred to colloquially as “The Highlands” and the southern portion known as “Cell Block 9.” Respectfully borrowing from Scottish culture, our own Highland Games included a trivia contest, which ended in a thrilling three-way tie; a corn hole tournament (won by well renowned slingers Corbin Newman and Ed Boll); and (gasp!) axe throwing.
Charquitas Mexican food truck provided a selection of delicious food on South Hackberry Lane; site of all the action. To top it all off was the expert musical talents of Whose Blues, which includes Unit 9’s own Russ Sacks as bass player supreme. The fun lasted well after dark, which is in itself a remarkable feat.
Such an amazing event does not just happen. The entirety of Unit 9 needs to thank the principal organizers and doers, that include the unparalleled Rob and Sandi Rizk, the wonderful Amy Donaldson, the marvelous Erin and Corbin Newman, the awe-inspiring Tooti Congdon, the miraculous Karen Nelson, and the incomparable Marsha Lindeken. Thanks to all, and apologies to others whose efforts may not be recognized here, but without whom the joy in hearts would be diminished.
Chili Cookoff winners (from left to right): Larry Ingram—1st place, Pam Engelhardt—2nd place, Stuart Offer—3rd place
Chili Willy SmackDown!
Pete Watson
Nothing says fall like football and … chili. So, rather than having half of our Unit end up in the ER from playing flag football on Dead Wood Trail (is the street name a coincidence? … I think not!), Unit 16B decided instead to hold the 3rd Quasi-annual Chili Championship!
On a beautiful, warm afternoon in late October, 11 brave Epicureans did their best to promote the sale of TUMS. With “No Rules” on the ingredients used in their chili, the chefs put their culinary skills to the test. However, when they read the small print on the Hold Harmless Agreement, (we have a LOT of lawyers in 16B) everything changed. Article #3 states, “All Winners MUST display their respective trophies in their front windows (with spotlights) for a period of no less than one month following the contest!”
OMG! Those 3–foot–tall, egregiously garish monstrosities? Think of the Crown Jewels attacked with a Bedazzler! They would blind a seeing-eye dog and make Stevie Wonder see again! In a flash, the chefs took on the sadistic tendencies of a deranged food worker in a school cafeteria. Bizarre ingredients like Drain-O, Pepto Bismol, Pickled Pig’s feet, and (awk!) tofu were added to render their chilis inedible, at best, and downright disgusting to the unsuspecting crowds. During the “tasting,” most of the judges staggered around like naughty kids after having their mouths washed out with soap. Luckily, one of our residents, a former flight attendant for Humpty-Bumpy Airways, brought a handy supply of “Barf Bags.” Hooray!
The day was saved by all the home cooks who brought salads, snacks, and desserts that were delicious! There was a nine-way tie for the trophies, each with no votes, and the “winners” were decided after a bruising and bloody game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. The three finalists all decided to sublet their homes during the required “Display Time” and slinked off to load up their U-Hauls. The rest of Unit 16B danced into the night celebrating the true Masters of Indigestion! URP; what a wonderful night!
Unit 16B Chili Championship—The Real Story!
Larry Ingram
Unit 16B has something going on all the time. The annual Chili Championship is held in the fall of the year. This year 11 chilis were entered into the contest. It was quite a diverse list of chilis from Tex-Mex style, with or without beans, white chicken chili, to chili with various veggies cooked into it. The winners ARE required to display their trophy in the front windows of their house for a month. The trophies will be passed on to next year’s winners.
Unit 16C Oktoberfest
Lucy Lange
All the great people of Unit 16C got together for a night of celebrating Oktoberfest. Sandy and Rick Buonarigo hosted the event. Everyone brought German food. The bratwurst had been cooked in beer with onions. German beer, potato salad, sauerkraut, and German chocolate cake were just some of 20 dishes laid out in the kitchen and dining room. Even Charlie, the Goldendoodle, was into the spirit. He loved the brats (hold the mustard) and the German pretzel with a Bavarian cheese dip. We all went home with takeout boxes so the party lasted for a couple more days as we all had enough food for the next day’s lunch and dinner!