Salsa title is for whole town’s pride

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July 3, 2010

Letter to the Editor for July 4, 2010

Anonymous Jacksonville Daily Progress The Jacksonville Daily Progress Sat Jul 03, 2010, 04:05 PM CDT

JACKSONVILLE — Dear Editor,

It’s official! The Guinness World Record folks have certified our effort to break the “World’s Largest Bowl of Salsa” as accomplished. We (Jacksonville, TX) are in the record book, folks.

Since the day of the challenge, I’ve experienced a lot of interactions with folks that have run the gamut from congratulatory to condescending. People are amazing.

So many have said how happy they were that we attempted this, that a diverse, dedicated group of people came together and ‘put Jacksonville on the map’. These folks recognized the hard work, the discomfort, the pain, the time, the money and the sacrifices by many to make the World Record (and resulting exposure worldwide via the Glutton for Punishment TV show) possible.

Then, there were the ones who said things like “I heard it didn’t taste any good”. “I heard it had pieces of gloves in it”. “I heard they threw it all out”. I’ve had to turn the other cheek in these instances, knowing in my heart that NONE of it was true. Hurtful? YOU BET! Wonder why they’re that way?

In the end, we must concentrate on the little things, the behind the scenes things, the people who stepped up in the heat, washed up and got to work. These people and these actions are why we were able to accomplish this feat and why Jacksonville, Texas will hold this record for a very long time.

A few examples: Peggy Renfro at the Chamber was key to attracting the production company to Jacksonville. Mike Sheppard and his staff at Klein products who made sure that not only did we have a truck to put the bowl on, but that it looked GREAT!. The City of Jacksonville crews who helped move the bowl and pallets into the painting area and again responded when the scale had to be removed. Leslie Moore volunteered to help 48 hours out as we needed someone capable of grilling all those peppers and onions. Our local school district went above and beyond: use of the Tomato Bowl and kitchen area, electricity, water, crowd control. Mike Pope put on a hairnet and chopped tomatoes too….Kathy & Eldridge Moak, Dr. James Low, Matt Woodson and that unnamed couple from Dallas who stepped over the barrier tape and said “I’ll help”. There were Amy Pate, Bryan and Tricia Thomason, who suffered burns from the lime juice but said it was ‘worth it’. These folks are what it’s all about…stepping up when your community needs you and doing something to make a difference.

In the end, the naysayers are just that. They’re clueless and they’re counter-productive. We have done something here and while it may not be world peace or a cure for cancer, it was far better than doing nothing, which is what I guess some folks in town would have opted for when the opportunity came knocking.

Hold your heads high, Jacksonville and when someone says something negative about our town or the people or the schools or whatever, just smile and think to yourself ‘salsa’, because that effort embodied everything we should strive to be: a cohesive community in pursuit of civic pride for ourselves, our children and our neighbors. I love Jacksonville, Texas and I’m glad so many others do too.

Kathleen Stanfill,

Jacksonville

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Letter to the Editor for July 4, 2010

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