My crack team of Franklin Street veterans Jill Trautvetter and Dr. Kurt Tillman along with rookie Nick Dus hit the street early this year bound for booths 1 – 33. Here’s a full report:
Booth 1. Granted – For those who remember, the famous Pork Chop sandwich but those in the know are keen on their desserts including the incredible Pumpkin Bread Pudding, a past award winner and didn’t disappoint today. Among the very best of the desserts we sampled today. Also look for their very clever Fall Festival Survival Kit which includes various sanitizers and stomach relief medication plus a host of other essentials – it’s new this year at $5.
Booth 2. Scout Crew 399 – Corn on the Cob. Tough to find on the street these days, especially since USI’s Art Club quit selling it a few years ago – this cob is boiled then dipped in butter and then given a sweet and salty treatment that gives it a sweet corn vibe last in the season. Tasty and unique
Booth 4. Nile Patrol Brain Booth – it’s all they sell and why not? As most years it boasts the longest waiting line at Fall Festival.
Booth 5. FOP Lodge 73 – Pork Parfait. Excellent presentation of a festival favorite and liked all around by the judges.
Booth 6. Holy Redeemer – The one, the only Giant Smoked Turkey Leg. Brought to you in giant goodness from the K0fC.
Booth 7 The Band Box – The Italian Beef Sandwich. Mama mia, thumbs up all around.
Booth 8 Eaglesview Church – Stuffed Pepper Soup loaded with cheese and sour cream. Outstanding home made hearty dish with an amazing flavor. One of today’s top picks by our judges.
Booth 9 Indiana National Guard – Passing out merch and info. Nice group of folks.
Booth 10 Centerpoint Energy – They too were passing out merch and info. Also a nice group of folks.
Booth 11 Nutter Bar – the last commercial booth on Franklin. There was a time when most of the Fall Festival booths were for-profit and now The Nutter Bar booth is the last but still family owned. And, you might like to know, they donate to some of their favorite charities every Fall Festival.
Booth 12 – Westside Sportsman’s Club – Pronto Pup. Hand dipped and “Best in the West.” Superior pronto.
Booth 13 – Unitarian Universalist Church – Walking Pumpkin Pie. Unique and one of a couple of top desserts the team had today, it’s Cinnamon Toast Crunch topped with a pumpkin mousse and whipped cream. Really good.
Booth 14 – First Christian Church – All about the fudge here and all of it homemade and delicious.
Booth 15 – Hadi Funsters – For years, their bestseller, Chocolate Clown Noses. Red velvet cake ball dipped in chocolate. Fun, naturally, and a sell out every year.
Booth 16 – Hoof Beats – all kinds of coffees and teas, we tried their Muddy Mocha and it caused quite a stir with the judges. Unique offerings for a Fall Festival booth. Speaking of which, theirs is new this year: a reworked horse trailer!
Booth 17 – Pleasant Chapel GB Church – Deep Fried Nutella. Another of the team’s favorite desserts today. Wonderful presentation and excellent flavor.
Booth 18 – Emmanuel Lutheran Church – Chicken and Dumplings. To many, THE chicken and dumplings of the Fall Festival. And the Festival is not complete without some to take home. Traditionally, the second longest waiting line (after Hadi Patrol brain sandwich).
Booth 19 – Vanderburgh County Substance Abuse Center – The West Sider. It’s a pulled pork parfait with bacon, American cheese, Southwest sauce and of course, Grippos. The team thought this was a parfait with “good balance.”
Booth 20 – Perry Heights – Jalapeno Grilled Cheese, an over the top grilled cheese sandwich that both good and sloppy.
Booth 21 – Young Life – Bacon Jam Burger. A beef cheeseburger dressed with Bacon Jam. Evidently it’s in Indiana by a company who makes nothing else but jam infused with bacon bits. Nice combo.
Booth 22 – St James West Methodist – their famous Corn Fritters. A Fall Festival original and past champion dish, they’re deep fried to golden brown perfection and served with syrup for dipping. These set the Corn Fritter standard on Franklin Street.
Booth 23 – German Township Booster Club – the Spicy Turkey Crawl – this one was unexpected: a combo of crawfish etouffee and turkey. Hardy and really flavorful. Another pick from our judges.
Booth 24 – Bethany Christian – a multi award winning booth for a number of their items. Today, we went with the Ski Cheesecake with optional Grippos topping. Very West Side and really quite good.
Booth 25 – Good Shepard School – Pork Tenderloin with pickle and onion. Straight ahead tenderloin sand made with care and a reminder that simple is best. This is a great sandwich.
Booth 26 – Evansville Professional Firefighters – Peanut Butter Sausage Burgers are what’s going on here and we went with the West Side version (Grippos, natch) but others offered include the Flamin’ (jalapenos) and Hawaiian (pineapple). Again, these are sausage burgers with peanut butter and were highly anticipated by the team. The sweet and savory combo works really well.
Booth 27 – Sigma Tau Gamma – The Walking Strom – all your Stromboli goodness and a bag of Grippos. Make that all your Stromboli goodness IN a bag of Grippos. Portable and scrumptious.
Booth 28 – St Joseph School PTO – the Flaming Squealer – come on, the name alone, right? It’s a sausage burger loaded with pepperjack cheese and jalapenos. “Spicy but not too hot. Good balance” said one of our more sensitive judges.
Booth 29 – Resurrection Church – Chicken and Dumpings – all homemade and it tastes like it. Don’t pass up this great C&D made with care and love. Our judges were major fans.
Booth 30 – St Paul’s Episcopal Church – Pork Parfait – a new item for them this year and a very good offering. “Very good. Tangy!”
Booth 31 – St Matthews Church – Fudge, lots of flavors and all homemade. We’d like to direct your attention to the peanut butter fudge. Yumsville!
Booth 32 – Central United Methodist Church – the Ribeye Sandwich. This impressed. The steak was perfectly grilled and tender. This is among the very best you’ll find on Franklin. Excellent sandwich.
Booth 33 – Freedom Life Center – Ribbon Fries with Pulled Pork. The fries are ribboned in the booth, we added cheese and jalapenos. Outstanding!
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