The Party Begins!
Well, after 28-29 years of the most fantastic experience a family can have, I am closing my doors to Halloween Spudnuts. Now, before you panic, that doesn't mean I won't make some for friends, relatives and neighbors upon request when I feel like it, or that I can't help the family members next Halloween if they choose to carry on the tradition. It means that the tradition needs to move to the next generation. Each of us in the family has wonderful memories and it has united us as a group. There is no way that one human could do all that by themself. It has been through the efforts of the children that this has been such a success. 
The neighbor called our local paper and they came over to take pictures and wrote an awesome piece for the front page of this years Halloween paper. What an honor. I tried to round up all the grandkids, but the only ones free were Raelyns younger three and thank goodness I had them. Keaton loves to roll out the dough, and "bang it and put it frozen on the trays" and he was excited to come help.
McKenna and Breanna are getting really proficient in doing the sugaring as they were taught by their sister Rachel all these years. Rachel started being the master sugarer when she was only 3 years old. Like I said, it took everyones help no matter how old and their abilities.
McKenna and Breanna are getting really proficient in doing the sugaring as they were taught by their sister Rachel all these years. Rachel started being the master sugarer when she was only 3 years old. Like I said, it took everyones help no matter how old and their abilities. While talking to the paper, I realized that I had "specialists" in the field. Rob and ValJay were the experts for cooking with helpers moving up on their tails of Kelly, Amanda and Jake. Raelyn has always been the Kitchen supervisor and director. She organizes the pots/pans, plates, and washes dishes until she has the kitchen spit-spot. Chelsea has always been daycare provider and child specialist. We always asked her to "monitor and supervise the kids and make sure they didn't step or crawl into the trays of spudnuts laying on the floor by the fire place. This year, she and her boyfriend took the little ones downstairs and played with them. What a relief knowing they were taken good care of and none came up missing when the hundreds of people left. She would also take them out tricker treating as the parents were all busy cooking. Then we have Jim, supervisor of entertainment. This year was so awesome as it came full circle in his tenure as a specialist. Jana Harrison was about 4 or 5 years old and they came to the home in Providence. Jim was dumping the dummy (his name was Aldernator) off the roof with a fork stabbed in the chest and catsup on the front, and Jana was so freighten she peed her pants right there on the porch. This year she came again (their family has never missed a year) and brought her daughter Mikaha. 
Jim scared her and she cried so hard. We took a picture to show the new generation and then Jim took off his burlap covering and spoke to her until she calmed down and they gave each other hi-5's. We have always had outside help from friends and sometimes strangers. Last year, the crowd showed up before the kids got here and a couple of families jumped in and manned the cookers until the help got here. This year we were blessed with the help from Dillian Moffatt and Jakes sister Jessica and her husband Cameron, and of course the Bayles family. Yes, that is about 15 people moving doughnuts in and out of warming ovens, cooking, sugaring, washing up some of the pans as well as greeting hundreds of tricker treaters. It is great to see people that followed us from Providence each year. Sometimes, this is the only time we cross paths. Many of the Newton families want to have this tradition over there and have offered to help Raelyn and ValJay pull it off. Rob and Kelly have even considered taking it on back at the old home front. Jake and Amanda had a great idea to take it to Price and use it for a caroling party with families and serve hot doughnuts with hot chocolate when the people returned. They have a great carport that would work PERFECT for this. SO, the tradition moves on. It was only to be done this year because the family donated money, fire extingusers, burners, pots, and the Bently family gave us some oil to help out. I truly have been blessed that I had a mother that started this tradition 50 years ago. It has been a great blessing in our lives. It has cemented us together in memories and work. If you are one of the great friends who has helped us over the years or one of the family that will carry on this great tradition, I will always be grateful and blessed that you have. Each time you make them, it will be honoring me and my mother Rachel. I am a blessed lady.
Jim scared her and she cried so hard. We took a picture to show the new generation and then Jim took off his burlap covering and spoke to her until she calmed down and they gave each other hi-5's. We have always had outside help from friends and sometimes strangers. Last year, the crowd showed up before the kids got here and a couple of families jumped in and manned the cookers until the help got here. This year we were blessed with the help from Dillian Moffatt and Jakes sister Jessica and her husband Cameron, and of course the Bayles family. Yes, that is about 15 people moving doughnuts in and out of warming ovens, cooking, sugaring, washing up some of the pans as well as greeting hundreds of tricker treaters. It is great to see people that followed us from Providence each year. Sometimes, this is the only time we cross paths. Many of the Newton families want to have this tradition over there and have offered to help Raelyn and ValJay pull it off. Rob and Kelly have even considered taking it on back at the old home front. Jake and Amanda had a great idea to take it to Price and use it for a caroling party with families and serve hot doughnuts with hot chocolate when the people returned. They have a great carport that would work PERFECT for this. SO, the tradition moves on. It was only to be done this year because the family donated money, fire extingusers, burners, pots, and the Bently family gave us some oil to help out. I truly have been blessed that I had a mother that started this tradition 50 years ago. It has been a great blessing in our lives. It has cemented us together in memories and work. If you are one of the great friends who has helped us over the years or one of the family that will carry on this great tradition, I will always be grateful and blessed that you have. Each time you make them, it will be honoring me and my mother Rachel. I am a blessed lady.I would like to give some facts about what this year was about:
Total made: 2800 +
Served 350 to DI. Another first, Rob figured out how to "Move" the spudnut while they were raising with the warming ovens and hauling the dutch ovens and cookers as well in his work trailer. Worked great, and we had a ball. The management was able to "serve" their workers.
Served about 500 + to various business, friends, and neighbors on Wed and Thursday
Gave over 100 away frozen to various peopleServed 1800 that night
Used 250 pounds of four
Used 243 eggs
Used 100 lbs sugar
Used 6 containers of crisco
16 gallons oil
5 large boxes of potato flakes
and other miscellaneous ingredients...............
I made 27 batches which make about 110 each batch
The PERFECT WAY TO END WITH A PERFECT SPUDNUT!What an awesome experience and what great rewards.
