September 22nd, 2007, brought us the 3rd Annual Ripple Bagel and Deli Pickle-Eating Contest, great weather, a fantastic turnout and a surprise or two!

Early in the day, a steady stream of contestants gobbled down the two fated pickles with fierce speed. But, as expected, momentum and the competition continued to build as the day progressed. Radio Now's SuperPhat Mikey even stepped up to the plate by the end of the day, and while he didn't get the record time, it was still considered a success since what went in didn't come back out!

One of the last heats of the day brought in a surprise celebrity contestant in her own rite. Molly Kearnes, champion of the last two years' contests, returned! Reportedly, she was out of town and unable to make this year's contest. Several myths circled her absence and even taller tales loomed regarding her re-appearance. Was she ever out-of-town to begin with? We may never know. But what we do know is that her presence at the end of the day put some pressure on the competition, and certainly some anticipation was felt from the current time-to-beat Caleb Swartz.

With only two pickles (instead of three) to inhale this year, the race was undoubtedly turned on its head. The lacking pickle may be to blame for Molly's failure to win a three-peat. Much of her success in the past two years may be contributed to the others' tendency to slow down on the third pickle in previous years. Nonetheless, Mr. Swartz came out on top in the end, with the winning time of 1:39.69. He is the proud owner of 50-yard line Colts Tickets! Make friends fast!

The Fundraiser for Make-A-Wish Foundation was a "smashing success" according to Deli representatives. Despite a disheartening set-back when about $500 of donations was discovered stolen, the Pickle Eating Contest managed to raise an estimated $6,000 this year! Recovering those funds may be next to impossible, but a generous and selfless donation was made by Liz and Dave from Liz Ditzler Interior Design in the amount of $500 "to replace some of the funds" that were in the canister that was stolen from next to the register at the Deli. You can see the entire letter from Liz and Dave posted on the window of the Ripple Bagel Deli.

Along with the winner of the Contest, there were several raffle drawing winners who donated $10 for a chance at valuable items such as a brand new iPhone, a bike and Colts tickets, raising over $2,500 in the raffle alone!

A total of 50 contestants and hundreds of spectators and even more donators combined to make this a successful year for the Make-A-Wish Foundation fundraiser. Ripple Bagel Deli's hopes for next year's contest? Bigger and better, of course!