KOUTS | Chris Anderson, the winner of the Porkburger Eating Contest at this weekend's 32nd annual Kouts Pork Fest, had a simple strategy: "I just kept thinking: bun, water, bun, water."
Anderson, a Kouts native and a member of the National Guard 113th Engineering unit, said he thought about basic training -- where 227 soldiers were fed in 20 minutes -- while planning his porkburger attack.
"I crumpled the buns to make them smaller so I wouldn't have to chew as much," Anderson said.
While all six contestants were stuffed after the contest, Mike Benko, of Hainesville, Ill., attending with his father-in-law Robert Bragiel, of Hebron, felt otherwise.
"I think I'm hungry," Benko said.
Benko and others thronged down Main Street and had plenty of festival fare to choose from, including pulled pork sandwiches, ice cream and corn on the cob.
Families strolled between booths, many with their family pet in tow. Judy and Bill Rathjen, of Kouts, brought Stella, their 3-year-old Italian greyhound, out for the day.
"I hate to leave her at home," said Judy Rathjen, who attends the event every year. "She gets a lot of attention and really enjoys it."
Nearly 100 vendors displayed crafts, and merchants enticed shoppers with a cool place to retreat from the heat. Adoptable pets from the Porter County Animal Shelter cuddled with shoppers inside the Willow Tree Garden shop.
Bonnie Newitt, a shelter volunteer, said events like the Pork Fest allow the community to get to know the shelter animals.
"We hope to increase awareness of the shelter so people will think about adopting from us," said Newitt, who brought Delilah, a brown tabby cat, and Ed, a black and white tuxedo cat, to entice those with a soft heart.
Other activities included an inflatable games area for children, a Guess the Weight of the Pig contest and bingo.
Stephany Lockett, of the Kouts Festival and Events committee, said the Pork Fest is an important event in the town, which was once known as the "Hog capital of the world."
"We wanted to keep the festival going," Lockett said. "It survives with the community's support of donations and volunteer time."
