The March of Dimes held its sixth annual Signature Chefs Auction Thursday night and the food was incredible. Eight restaurants/catering firms offered a range of selections. My plate was heaping so I latched on to the perfect buffet line technique — eat while visiting the stations.
My favorite entree? An au gratin potato dish that included sweet potatoes, cheese, regular potatoes, more cheese and some crumbly mixture (note my culinary description) that told you immediately they were packed with calories. They were created by Distinctive Gourmet and, if Chef Al Clark will share the recipe, I’ll pass it along. Trust me, they were to die for.
Gourmet A Go-Go impressed with baby back ribs, Minerva’s wowed with tiramisu, Briar Cliff University offered up stuffed dates (no, really, they were amazing), Raspberry’s had to-die-for desserts, Bev’s served up a smokin’ Cajun Bar B Que and Luciano’s stood out with Penne Russo, a signature dish.
Those, mind you, were just MY faves. Throw in dozens of other main dishes, appetizers and desserts and you’ll understand why I (and several others) waddled out of the Convention Center.
The People’s Choice Award? That went to Distinctive Gourmet, which also had a pretty nifty stage setting.
More important? The event benefited the March of Dimes.
Great food. An even better cause.
You shoulda been there.

You have until Oct. 4 to see the big bugs at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory in Okoboji.

How big are they? Let’s just say you could use them in a ’50s sci-fi film and not have to worry about hiring special effects experts. As you walk along the rolling hills (which, by the way, give you a pretty good workout), you come upon the bugs. Some hide pretty well in the grass and they’re a treat to find. Really.

Take a look…then plot your trip. It’s worth the drive and the kids will love ‘em. When was the last time you heard that about bugs?

I came. I saw. I judged.

Now, I drink plenty of liquids.

The 16th annual Downtown Chili and Salsa Cook-off was filled with a lot of interesting entries. One was all foamy (what was that all about?). Another boasted cinnamon. A third had limes. The winner, though, was a bit more traditional with a kick to it.

As one of 10 judges, I got to try a spoonful of each (add that up — that’s more than a bowl, trust me) and rate them. Unfortunately, I spilled so much my judging form looked like it had been in a drive-by shooting.

The booths were fun, too (I loved “The Wizard of Oz” one) and the salsas — from what I hear since I didn’t judge them — had unique flavor combos as well.

Best of all, the event attracted a huge crowd that seemed to be having a lot of fun. Hats off to Downtown Partners and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Siouxland for staging such a successful event.

Now, I think I gotta find the Rolaids.

I got a chance to peek at some of the booths at ArtSplash Friday and I’ve determined it’s the year of the nose.

Taking a cue from Ken Peterson’s poster image (he has a nose in the middle of a flower), several artists have decided to sell nose goods.

In addition to Peterson’s sculptures (which often have a “scented” theme) there are nose dishes, nose bowls, nose plates, glasses holders shaped like noses and nose pencil sharpeners (get it?).

Of the new stuff, I was most intrigued with the work of John Woodhouse. He has created three-dimensional representations of barns. They pop to life and look like you’re viewing them in the distance. Don’t miss ‘em.

Steve Tomashek’s miniatures are back (be sure to look at the circus scene) and Todd Shelby and Karen Pritchett’s bowls sucked me in again. I bought one featuring a guy smiling. On the top it said, “They call me lard-ass.” Appropriate.

Since I didn’t get a chance to hit all the booths (yup, I forgot to get the roasted nuts), I’m going back Saturday. Then I’ll get to sample the food and see the entertainment.

Look for me at TalentSplash. I’ll be judging (and probably slipping out between acts to go shopping).

The weather’s going to be beautiful. See ya there.

I came home on Sunday and found this huge plywood superhero in my front yard. On the back, it told me I was “marvelous” and that I and others had been deemed “superheroes.” Nice, right? (Even though it’s not true.) Apparently, for an Oct. 2 Boys and Girls Home fundraiser, the superheroes have been cropping up around town.

It got a huge reaction from my neighborhood and piqued my curiosity. How many are there? Who’s chosen? How long can it stay? And can I keep it forever?

Officials say you can have one sent to someone you think is super. Just give the Boys and Girls Home  a call.

I think it really draws attention away from the cobwebs on my house (which I consider “early” Halloween decorating).

And it made me feel special for a minute. You might even say I felt super.

When Ted Kennedy ran for president, I was assigned to write about politics. For some reason, I was on the “Teddy” beat. Every time he (or one of the relatives) came to town, I was sent to cover the event. Most times, I wrote about the crowd reaction, which infuriated his press secretary. “Why don’t you write about the issues?” the secretary asked. “Let me talk to the senator and I will.”

After several failed attempts to “make it happen,” the secretary arranged for an interview on the senator’s plane — on my birthday, Jan. 18, 1980. That day, Joan Kennedy announced she was fully behind her husband and would be with him in the White House. She said she believed everything he told her about the car accident at Chappaquiddick and didn’t need more proof. It was a pretty powerful show of support (this is “stand by your man” time in its early stages) and, by anyone’s standards, a significant news break.

Joan didn’t take followup questions, but because I got to go on the plane for that one-on-one interview, I was able to pursue the issue. It was easy to tell she had made the statement as a show of support, not a show of truth. The two sat together but couldn’t have been farther apart. He wanted to talk about things like health care and taxes. She wanted to stare out the plane window.

For me, the curtain had lifted and I got to see what “that” world was all about.  The campaign meant everything to the Kennedys. And it showed.

Years later — when he was out of the running for president — I interviewed him again and he was much more relaxed, much more comfortable in his guise as elder statesman. Although there was always hope he could follow his brother into the White House, it wasn’t meant to be. There was a greater role for him and he played it well.

The Stoney Creek Inn held its grand opening Thursday night and, wow, it’s a great addition to Sioux City.

Decorated in a North Woods theme (think: moose, logs and buffalo plaids), it’s like the Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disney World.

While the rustic look is carried throughout, there are some special touches:

•In the public rest rooms, there are TV sets built into the mirrors.

•In a suite called The Admiral’s Retreat, there’s a nautical theme. (I’m thinking, though, it’s going to be known as the Michael Bolton suite, since the Grammy winner stayed there when he was in Sioux City.)

•In the swimming pool, there’s a pass through to the outside, so you can swim indoors or out.

•In some rooms, there are massage chairs.

•In others, you can find more flat screen TVs than you’d see in an electronics store.

•In Palmers Pub, there’s a huge Twin Bing candy bar.

At the grand opening, they even had a big moose walking around greeting people. Caterers who will be part of the Stoney Creek family served all kinds of goodies and the conference center was hopping with music, drinks and entertainment.

The event was great — but the hotel has the potential to be even greater. It has an incredible lobby and some fascinating decorating touches (I’ve gotta get one of those log cabin Kleenex boxes).

Take a peek and you’ll agree, it’s a fun place to visit.

And if you want something special, book the Michael Bolton. It’s awesome.

Today we got the news that Cal Olson, former editor of The Journal, had died.
While you may not have known Cal you can rest assured he had your best interests in mind during his tenure.
He was a bulldog in the newsroom, sniffing out stories better than anyone. He demanded excellence from his staff, too, and never rested until he got the scoop. He was Lou Grant, Ben Bradley and Ernie Adams, all rolled into one.
I got to know Cal at an early age — he was one of my first newswriting instructors at (then) Moorhead State University in Moorhead, Minn. He was managing editor of The Forum in Fargo, N.D., at the time and he carried considerable weight among his peers. In the classroom, he was as intimidating as the professor in “The Paper Chase.” He looked over the top of his glasses and often asked, “Is this the best you can do?” If you misspelled a name, he put a big “F” on the paper and handed it back without explanation. He was the school paper’s adviser, too, and at weekly staff meetings he detailed what we had done right and wrong. If you got a “good on you” from Cal, your entire week was made. He demanded excellence and got it.
After I had finished graduate school, he called and asked if I wanted a job in Sioux City. I told him I didn’t even know where Sioux City was. “I think you’d like it here,” he said. He was right.
Even though we weren’t in a classroom, he was still teaching me things. He always asked, “How does it smell out there?” when you’d come back with a story. And when you said there wasn’t anything to report, he’d say, “There’s your story.”
He was an avid lover of movies, too. Even in his later years (when he needed dialysis three times a week), he’d quiz me about the latest movies and what was coming out next. Talk movies? Cal was a pro.
When community theater actors complained once about a review I had written, he decided to see for himself who was right. He went to the show and came back with his assessment: “They’re so bad they don’t deserve to be reviewed.”
More than anything, that’s what I appreciated about Cal — you always knew he was in your corner. He’d be the first to tell you you were wrong but he’d go to the mat for you (his words) if you were right.
For me, he was a role model, a mentor and a friend.
The last time I saw him, he left me with a typical Cal-ism: “Fight the good fight.”
And that’s just what those who knew him have to do.
He wouldn’t expect anything less.

So what was the big bus doing on Fourth Street Friday night? My sources say they were either looking for the hottest girls or the hottest bar in America. I don’t know if they actually taped anyone, um, naked auditioning but it’s a safe bet it’ll be all over town if someone turns up online or in a new DVD.

If you know more, drop me a line. There’s got to be a story here.

And if you got punked filmed, I want details.

Every year you see something at Saturday in the Park that makes you realize it’s the perfect event for people-watching and trend-spotting.

This year’s edition was no exception.

Among the things we spotted:

1. A swimsuit on the sidewalk. (Without its wearer.)

2. Discarded rubber gloves. (What does that mean?)

3. Lots of brightly colored fingernails and toenails. This, we assume, is the new tattoo.

4. Opportunities to play the game, “Pregnant or just fat?”

5. Smokers. (Isn’t there a law against that?)

6. Five girls walking, arm in arm, like they were on “Gossip Girl.”

7. Lots of older people.

8. Favorite T-shirt: Bun in the oven. (Which goes nicely with No. 4.)

9. Second favorite: Snitches are a dying breed.

10. Best flag display: Mike Doughty had one in his shirt pocket. Nice touch.