GILLETT -- A small town in Arkansas and a plateful of raccoon awaited some of the state's top politicians Saturday night.
Democrats and Republicans from across the state met in Gillett for the 73rd Gillett Coon Supper, which is seen as a must-attend event for elected officials and political hopefuls in Arkansas.
The annual events started years ago as a way to support the city's high school. The school closed in 2009 because of low enrollment, so now the suppers raise money for college scholarships for area students.
Saturday's event was a success, said Chad Philipp, president of the Gillett Farmers and Businessmen's Club.
It sold out. The high school gymnasium was filled to capacity.
"I love seeing everyone here," Philipp said. "There are 691 people in this community. To see 600 people in the gym at one time -- it's always a wonderful thing."
At the dinner, U.S. Sen. John Boozman, a Republican, praised former Democratic U.S. Rep. Marion Berry, who lives in Gillett in Arkansas County.
"Nobody did a better job in his folksy, full-of-humor way than Marion Berry on the House floor of the United States Congress," Boozman said to applause.
And Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge urged politicians in the crowd to work together.
"I believe people have to sit down, have conversations, work together in order to get things done," she said. "That's exactly what events like this are all about."
No other politicians spoke during the dinner, but before supper, a party raged at Berry's farm.
Next to an old drill press and a cabinet holding spare bolts, there was a band. In another corner, there was food: duck bites, venison sliders, cookies and more.
Bishop Woosley, director of the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, joked about knowing the winning Powerball jackpot numbers as he grilled food outside a metal building. He also talked about how much he enjoys the annual Coon Supper.
"I grew up in Stuttgart, Ark.," he said. "I see people that I've known my entire life who come out here. It's just kind of this annual political tradition that you want to see live on."
Like the main event, the pre-supper reception gathers Democrats and Republicans under the same roof.
Former U.S. Attorney Conner Eldridge of Fayetteville, Little Rock businessman Curtis Coleman and Boozman -- who are all running for the same U.S. Senate seat -- attended the pre-party.
The three said they were there to shake hands with voters and reconnect with old friends. Stomaching the raccoon was more of a concern than the political race, they said.
"It gets people out of Little Rock, out of Washington, into rural Arkansas, and you can talk about some of the challenges you have in rural Arkansas," Boozman said of the Coon Supper. "And if you really like raccoon, you can have all you want."
Last year's event was the first he had attended.
"It's funny listening to all the folks coaching first-timers about what part to get, what part not to get," he said, referring to the night's main course. "They say to grab the big piece that looks kind of like the back. It's bony, and it doesn't have a lot of meat, so you can just chew on it."
Eldridge, a Democrat, said he attended his first Coon Supper with Berry years ago and has gone every year since.
"It's a great Arkansas tradition," he said. "It's what makes our state special. It's what brings us together and represents what we have to fight for in our state."
Coleman, who will face Boozman in the Republican primary, said this was his fourth or fifth Coon Supper.
"This is one of those events if you show up at, nobody really cares, but if you don't show up, they notice," he said. "I enjoy this event. I enjoy the fellowship. I have a lot of friends on both sides of the aisle, and I enjoy seeing them. We're all Arkansans. We tend to like each other."
Circuit Judge John Dan Kemp of Mountain View and Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Courtney Goodson, who are running for the state Supreme Court's chief justice position and attended the pre-party, said they were hard at work campaigning.
Saturday's was Kemp's first Coon Supper.
"I came down for the coon," he said. "I hear a lot about barbecue sauce. I hope they have a lot left."
Goodson said her first Coon Supper was in 2010.
"There are so many people," she said. "It's crazy."
Surveying the crowd at his farm before the supper, Berry said he was proud to bring people together.
"It's just country folks having a good time. That's what it's really about," Berry said. "The next generation have picked it up and keep doing it."
Mitch Berry, his son, and Gabe Holmstrom, a former staff member and current executive director of the Downtown Little Rock Partnership, now organize the pre-supper reception.
Holmstrom said he graduated from college on a Saturday in 2001, took Sunday off, and spent the next 18 months driving Marion Berry around the state for political events.
"When I graduated from college, I had a degree in political science, so I thought I really knew some stuff," he said. "But I learned more in the next six months driving with him than I did in any political science class. I can assure you that."
Holmstrom said he went to his first Coon Supper with Berry. This year was his 14th.
A Section on 01/10/2016