So, I must, you see, say, “Go Lumberjacks.”
It will, no doubt, be cool enough this Friday evening for some wonderful memories about the famous Mary Lou Martin chili dogs once sold by the Warren Band Parents Association concession stand.
The recipe will follow the end of these musings. So print it off and save it – the actual recipe is on several of the Facebook postings here and there, but somewhat difficult to find when you need it.
Copy it and send it to your kids and relatives who have heard you rave for decades about these great chili dogs.
That will be proof enough, if they ever make the chili dogs.
We credit the late Mary Lou Martin, the tall, dignified lady who was married to Curry Martin, the legendary band director of the Lumberjack Marching Band.
For their five-plus decades at Warren, Curry took care of the musical and marching component, Mary Lou took care of schooling the Majorette line. She also was choreographing the wonderful Homecoming Half-Time Show which featured twirling fire batons.
And in addition to that she championed the Warren Band Parents Association concession stand, which was once at the southern entrance to O. O. Axley Field behind where the old yellow brick high school once stood.
Entering the gate at the south entrance, there was a little ticket takers shack, about two people in there at a time to the right of the gate as you entered.
The Warren Band Parents Concession stand, which sold cold as ice Coca-Cola products, an small assortment of gum, candy bars and other items from Warren Wholesale, run by Robert Green’s family and those famous Martin Chili Dogs.
To the immediate north of the Band Concession stand, was the Future Farmers of America Popcorn stand. The FFA made all the popcorn and sold it from a small wooden structure that would hold the loudest popcorn popper known to mankind and about two or three FFA boys. Often they were under the watchful eye of Mr. Simpson, the FFA instructor of later his assistant and Mr. Briggs.
They popped enough popcorn for both the home and away crowd.
But back to those delicious hot dogs. Earlier in the history of the band association service, these tasty dogs were from the often famous C.A. Linaker & Company of McGehee, but later on, I do believe, somehow another meat packer took over the supply of these tasty meat products.
They were served two ways, often is just a waxed paper wrap, but sometimes in a small red and white decorated paper basketlike container. I can still see Sue Woodard, Nell Reep and an army of other parents working that concession stand.
I can still view, from my higher than ground level perch in the upper tier of the uniquely built Warren High School Marching Lumberjack Band stand on the north east corner of the home stands, people carting dozens of the chili dogs into the stands on a cool, Bradley County evening.
In the box seats alongside the home sidelines, I can see generations of the downtown business leaders, some of the Potlatch management and yes, some of the parents of players, who snagged up those four-folding chair units which were just above field level for a close-up view of the football field. There was a wide walk-way between the traditional bleachers and the box seat section.
It was in this walk-way that most of the teenagers seemed to parade back and forth while the action on the field went on.
Guys and gals in the band had a birds-eye view of this major traffic of humanity as they paraded up and down the walk-way while the Lumberjacks and the small clutch of cheerleaders for the Orange and Black held the sideline activity.
On a cool Friday night, those chili dogs were often the old sustenance some of us teenagers had between getting out of school at 3:30 or after the 2 p.m. pep rally, on the home game Friday night and kickoff.
As we band student, stood in rank and file for Mr. Martin’s military-like pre-game inspection we could smell that chili and those wieners a cooking in a big steel pot in the nearby concession stand.
We stood out on the rock-hard practice field, just outside the WHS dressing rooms and in front of the crowd gathering inside Axley Field, and just a few yards away were those delicious treats.
But it would be until the third quarter before a chili dog could stain that white shirt you had to wear with the black wool uniform. And you had better be careful with that chili dog.
Ford’s Dry Cleaners could only do so much to get out that smear from the chili dog drippings.
Here is a much passed around clipping of the Martin’s Chili Dogs.
1 Block of 4 Alarm Chili (available at most groceries)
1 cup of water
1 can of tomato sauce (not paste)
1 package of chili seasoning
1 tsp salt
½ tsp garlic salt
½ tsp onion salt
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. Tabasco or 1 tsp of hot pepper relish
Mix the chili with water and boil until the chili is melted. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer. Put the chili on both side of the hot dog bun and place a hot, boiled wiener in the middle.
That is a time tested Pastime just right for a cold Friday night of watching the Warren Lumberjacks.
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