On a night where ghouls and goblins are the norm, a refreshing take on Halloween took place at Oakwood Church Tuesday in a harvest celebration entitled, Hallelujah.

 

Pastor Gerry Bass and his wife, Sarah, came dressed as Fred and Wilma Flintstone. Most of the guests who arrived also wore costumes consisting of Star Wars characters, Winnie the Pooh, Sully from Monsters, Inc., a jellyfish, a Ninja Turtle, an angel and an adult dressed in bright orange camo.

 

Someone even came as an injured Aaron Rodgers of the Packers — complete with his arm in a sling.

 

The evening kicked off with the annual judging of the abundance of home-made chilis and fresh desserts. The judges included this reporter (Bill Morgan) from the Citizen-Tribune, Police Chief Brent Baloun, Second Grade Teachers Steve Kollman and Nate Bucher, IS Assistant Principal Mark Graham and Mayor Tracy Bertram.

 

Nineteen delicious recipes of chilis were brought out to Morgan, Kollman and Graham in little cups, each labeled with a number. The judges had worksheets inside a folder that asked each judge to rate the chilis based on aroma, texture, flavor and color.

 

Chili #6, made by Joan Lindquist was the decided favorite.

 

The judges for the desserts (Bertram, Baloun and Bucher) had 12 treats to sample which included chocolate cakes and bars to fruity pies and pastries.

 

Nita Strong won the golden cupcake trophy with her delicious Raspberry delight at #4.

 

Following the judging, a few of the evaluators were asked about the privilege of being called a “celebrity” and being called upon to judge such fine food.

 

“It was a rewarding experience,” said Bertram. “I’d definitely come back if they asked me.”

 

It was Bertram’s first time as a judge. Baloun has been a judge for the contests for six or seven years.

 

“I enjoy it, it’s always a really good time,” he said.

 

Graham, who judged for the first time, wasn’t sure what to expect when he made the commitment to participate. Afterwards, he was glad he did.

 

“Everyone here is so welcoming,” he said. “If they asked me again, yes, I would come back.”

 

Members of Oakwood Church had 16 tables of 10 spread out through the nave and each table was decorated with tiny scarecrows and orange and brown colors. In the back room, a huge inflatable was put into service by the youngsters and Sarah was busy in the back giving people colored hair-dos with washable hair spray dye.

 

Many kids stayed up front of the church where games were performed by guests and supervised by congregants of the church. Several talented artists took turns doing face painting at a station just outside the main doors.

 

The chilis were a hit — as usual — but there was also hot dogs and chips served for those who weren’t into the delectable soups. The desserts went fast, too as visitors somehow found a little extra place in their bellies to savor the gourmet treats.

 

All-in-all, Oakwood’s Hallelujah Harvest Fest was another spooktacular occasion with well over 300 people attending.