20 - CAPE GAZETTE, Friday, April 5 - April 11, 1996
CAPE LIFE
Punkin' Chunkin' gives nod to Roadhouse sponsorship
be billed as the biggest tailgate
party in Delaware." McLaughlin
said one change that will be made
in 1996, to help keep Punkin'
Chunkin' family-oriented, will be
free admission for children under
12.
As is tradition, the event will be
held the weekend following Hal-
loween. This year's dates are Sat-
urday and Sunday, Nov. 2 and 3.
(Members discussed a summer-
time exhibition of chunkin'
machines using watermelons as
ammo but no final decision was
reached on that idea.)
"We're going to have Punkin'
Chunkin' at Joe Hudson's Eagle
Crest farm as we did last year,"
said Townsend. "He's invited us
back. Things went pretty smoothly
last year. We'll make a couple of
adjustments - add some sponsors
for advertising. And we're plan-
ning now to have a banquet on the
Friday following Punkin'
Chunkin' for presentation of
By Dennis Forney
Members of the Punkin'
Chunkin' Association (PEA) and
Pete Townsend of the Roadhouse
Steak Joint came to terms in a
meeting Monday, April 1. As a
result, the Roadhouse, for the sec-
ond year, will serve as official host
for the 1996 World Championship
Punkin' Chunkin' competition.
Thirty-one members of the PCA
expressed their approval of the
arrangement with a hearty round
of applause following the sponsor-
ship discussion.
At least one other business - the
Bottle and Cork in Dewey Beach -
had expressed an interest in host-
ing the event. "Pete did an excel-
lent job last year," said PCA Presi-
dent Larry McLaughlin. "That's
why we're having him back this
year. We want to keep the event
family-oriented and we're aiming
for more of a country atmosphere
in 1996 including country bands.
And we want Punkin' Chunkin' to
awards."
Benefiting local charities is an
important priority for the PCA.
Secretary Billy Hadder said the
group hopes to narrow its group of
receiving charities down to about
four. "We.plan to have forms at
the Roadhouse that interested
charities can pick up and fill out to
express their interest," said Had-
der. "They will be available after
April 15 and will have to be turned
back in by July 1. Then we'll
review them and make choices."
McLaughlin said there are 30
punkin' chunkin"machines in
existence now that will be on hand
for the 1996 competition as well as
others that come forward between
now and November. "We have
one new group from North Caroli-
na that plans to come for the youth
division," said McLaughlin. "It's
great to get that kind of participa-
tion. They're the champions of the
future."' The Punkin' Chunkers are
also planning to spice up next
Sanford Hazzard (1) makes a point during the Punkin'
Chunkin' Association meeting held Monday, April 1 between
the Great Marsh and Broadkili River. Seated just to Sanford's
left are former Punkin' Chunkin' champion Trey Me[son and
current champion Speed Lackhove.
year's target shooting competition
by having larger and more targets.
"We want more hits."
The Punkin' Chunkers met in
their new headquarters: a pole
shed on reigning punkin' chunkin'
champion Harry "Speed" Lack-
hove's Pilottown Road property in
Lewes, between Broadkill River
and the Great Marsh. All future
meetings of the organization will
be held in the building.
Rehoboth's McQueen receives nomination for "Colonel's Way"Award
tal's many fundraisers, makes crafts for the
Senior Center to sell at their bazaars and will
volunteer to drive anyone to an appointment.
"I am submitting her name as she is an inspi-
ration to others her age and those who are
much younger also," said the 58-year-old
Davis in her letter nominating McQueen. "She
has a keen sense of humor and a wonderful out-
look on life."
Davis, also a Rehoboth Beach resident, says
her friend continues to amaze her with her will-
ingness to help others and pitch in wherever
needed.
McQueen says she refuses to sit down and
let life pass her by. "I made up my mind I was
not going to sit and just let the chair get me,"
she said. "That is sad to spend your life that
way. I have too many things that I want to do."
Continued on page 21
Lutie Davis (left) has nomi-
nated Bea McQueen of
Rehoboth Beach for the KFC
Colonel's Way Award.
By Michael Short
Lutie Davis just smiles when asked about her
friend Bea McQueen of Rehoboth Beach.
McQueen, at the age of 72, can tire out peo-
ple half her age. "I often say to her, 'Bea, you
make me tired... She just amazes me. She has
more energy," Davis said.
The two friends quilt together and work
together at the Shell Gallery Shop in Rehoboth
Beach. They've known each other for eight
years and McQueen's boundless energy has
prompted her friend and quilting partner to
submit her name to Kentucky Fried Chicken as
a nominee for The Colonel's Way Award.
McQueen has been named the Delaware
Community Service Winner in the program.
The program is a senior award program, which
draws its inspiration from Kentucky Fried
Chicken founder Harlan Sanders, who began
his business at the age of 66.
Colonel Sanders said his recipe for life was
"no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of
money would deter me from giving the best
that there was in me."
The Colonel's Way program looks for active
seniors. In Delaware, that search lead to Bea
(she never uses her full name of Beulah)
McQueen. As a semifinalist, McQueen now
advances to the next round of judging which
narrows the field to 12 finalists with an oppor-
tunity to win the Colonel's Way Award
$10,000 grand prize. The grand prize will be
awarded in Corbin, Kentucky, birthplace of
KFC, on June 6.
McQueen works five days a week at the
Beebe Medical Center, sells tickets two nights
a week at a movie theater and works two days
or nights in the summer at the Shell Gallery.
In her spare time, she volunteers to conduct
tours at the hospital, sells tickets for the hospi-
Whenever you purchase any-
thing you don't know a lot about,
you are inevitably faced with the
question "Will it work?" Some-
times, this question doesn't even
require a purchase, as in, "We'll
just say he was home chipping
golf balls on his front lawn at ten
at night. Yea, that will work."
Often the answer to this ques-
tion is immediately apparent and
with more than one meaning.
Such as "Flight 54 why don't you
try landing on runway three, there
is no traffic in your path, keep
descending to 5000 feet
and ..... oops, I thought that was a
piece of dust On my radar screen.
I guess that didn't work and I'm
probably out of work."
Recently, around here, more and
more residents are asking each
other this question. People who
are complete strangers are rolling
Rounding up the usual suspects
AROUND TOWN
Nancy Katz
down their car windows and say-
ing "Does it work?" No one cares
how. Spare the details.
The Clinton campaign war room
had its buzz word, often quoted
during the last presidential race:
"It's the economy, stupid!" After
last summer, we have our owfl
buzz word: "It's the sewer, stu-
pid!"
I know I have gone on record
promising to never bring this up to
readers again. And I knew I was
reaching when I brought up the
sewer hook-up to my family.
"The sewer," my daughter
screamed on the phone. "I thought
you were past this. For God's
sake, find yourself a support group
and get on with your life. I'll call
you in a month." I felt like a hero-
in addict trying to kick a 20-year
habit.
But the work has begun. Every-
one Will have to hook-up to those
blue pipes that seemed to be
everywhere last summer. Some
neighborhoods have taken on the
look of a massive crime scene.
Yards are bulldozed into piles of
dirt with yellow crime scene tape
surrounding huge holes. The other
day, I saw a chalk outline of a per-
son outside a house. Two police-
men were talking.
"So this is where they found the
owner?"
"That's right, Surge. We figured
after the first flush, he was so
shocked that his phone still
worked and his electricity wasn't
cut off, that he staggered out the
front door and collapsed here in
front of the holding tank."
They walked across the street
where there was another chalk out-
line.
"What about this guy?"
"That's a totally different story.
He went down when he opened his
mailbox and read his sewer bill.
You can still see the outline of it in
his hand."
"O.K." the Sarge told him.
"Round up the usual suspects."
But hooking up to the sewer
doesn't have to be that extreme or
painful. A few weeks ago, I heard
the rumblings of a small convoy
screech to a halt in front of my
house.
It included your basic Sussex
County resort equipment, s.uch as a
back-hoe, several tractors, two
cryptonite busters and a discontin-
ued atom smasher.
"It will work, lady," a man in
knee deep water told me. "Now,
your front lawn is about three
blocks down the street. You'll
have to pick it up yourself later."
So, every morning I look to see
if there are soap suds bubbling
forth from the front yard. With
every flush, the question of "does
it work?" has been replaced by
"Did you hear something?" And at
a moment's notice, I'm ready to
"Round up the usual suspects!"
