KETTLE CORN BOOTH DRAWS BIG CROWD

The line to the Ma and Pa Kettle Korn booth Sunday at the Black Forest Village's 7th Annual Octoberfest was the longest of any attraction.

Inside the booth were Vickie Jennings and Nathan Wyrick who were doing their best to fill in for the grandfather of kettle corn cookers, Arnold Brunk.

Brunk, Jennings' grandfather, created the recipe for the kettle-cooked popcorn that has become a mainstay at the Black Forest's Octoberfest.

Wyrick of Kahoka has been entrusted with the secret remedy and hopes to become a full-time member of the family business -- once he marries another of Brunk's granddaughters and enters the family full time.

"I like getting out and meeting people and going to interesting places," Wyrick said.

He said Brunk travels with his kettle corn to festivals throughout the nation. Even doing it part-time, Wyrick said, can mean a lot of travel. "We go to Michigan, Florida, I've got to go to Kentucky next weekend," he said.

Wyrick said there's no secret to what goes into the kettle corn -- it's sugar, soybean oil and salt. It's how much of each that is the secret.

The kettle corn business has expanded to such extents that Wyrick and Brunk went to larger kettles to accommodate the demand. Wyrick said the current kettles are about as big as they can manage. "Your arms get pretty worn out after an eight- or 10-hour day," he said.

Greg Macke, owner of Black Forest Village, said the weather, booths and attractions brought in about 3,000 people to the three-day Octoberfest.

"Everybody that's been coming out seems to be in a pretty good mood," Macke said. "They're buying a lot of kettle corn, that's a big seller out here."

Macke said this year's Octoberfest was scheduled far enough away from Halloween that it will give him and his crew a chance to set up for the Haunted Ghost Town, which begins Oct. 24. Macke said he'll begin setting up for it today.

"This year we'll have two weeks. Last year we tried to turn it around in five days," he said. "We don't have to sweep the floors for Halloween.