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Thursday, July 13, 2006
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Keen beans Heat doesn't stop interest from bubbling at annual PL bean feed Staff Writer PEQUOT LAKES - The temperature was nearly as hot as the steaming kettles of baked beans pulled from the ground at Pequot Lakes' traditional Bean Hole Days celebration Wednesday.
But the 90-degree temperature didn't stop about 2,500 people from standing in line outdoors to get a bowl of free baked beans, cooked underground overnight in the middle of the city.
"It was kind of cool," Amanda Kaplan, 7, of Richmond, Va., said of watching the large black kettles - named Lena, Baby Olga, Sven and Big Bertha - lifted out of the ground by a hydraulic crane. This was her first experience of Bean Hole Days.
Kaplan's grandparents, Ken and Sylvia Gamec of Minneapolis, drove north three hours to Pequot Lakes just to attend Bean Hole Days and were heading back to Minneapolis Wednesday night. The couple said they've attended Bean Hole Days every year for at least the past 15 years. They usually stay a night or two while in Pequot Lakes but opted not to do that this year.
"We enjoy it and look forward to it," Ken Gamec said of Bean Hole Days.
Gamec said while standing in line for beans he met a woman from Jenkins who had never heard about Bean Hole Days until this week and decided to stop and try a bowl of beans.
Luther and Eleanor Ness are summer residents of Clear Lake in Ideal Township. They figure they've attended Bean Hole Days each year for the past 32 years.
"It's fun. I like to shop," said Eleanor Ness. "It's a fun day."
Bernice Rohde, chair of the arts and crafts committee for the event, said there were 80 vendors at Bean Hole Days. This year organizers unveiled a new Bean Hole Days logo, sold on T-shirts and headwear. She said a lot of people plan their vacations around the annual celebration.
Rohde, along with many other people at Wednesday's event, said the beans were good this year.
"They're good, lots of brown from lots of molasses," Rohde said of the baked beans. "The sweeter, the better."
"They taste pretty good," June Shanks, of Canton, said of the beans.
Dave Hallbeck, a Bean Hole Days volunteer and owner of Sibley Station in Pequot Lakes, was crowned King Bean Wednesday. Hallbeck was given a wooden bean scepter, a bean sack as a cape and wore Beano packets pinned to his Bean Hole Days headwear.
"I'm shocked," Hallbeck said of the honor. "I think the main requirement (for being crowned King Bean) is to be full of gas. And I am."
Hallbeck was involved in preparing the beans. He helped soak the 200 pounds of navy beans Monday night and mix the secret baked bean recipe. The secret bean recipe also included brown sugar, molasses and 90 pounds of bacon ends from Thielen Meats in Pierz.
Hallbeck said the recipe for the baked beans is so secret that he only knows half the recipe and a couple of other members of the Bean Hole Days committee only know the other half.
A highlight of the Bean Hole Days celebration was a visit by the Budweiser Clydesdales. The horses arrived by three semi-trucks and were escorted into the city by area law enforcement.
Chairs of the event were Jon Hovey and Joanie Carboni. Bean Hole Days is hosted by the Brainerd Lakes Area Chambers of Commerce.
JODIE TWEED can be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.
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