Fair cook-off long-time tradition
By BRENDA SOMMER bsommer@leader-news.com

Contributed Photo Way Old School This 1981 photo shows the minimal gear and home-made outfits that characterized the Gamblers and other teams who participated in the Wharton County Youth Fair barbecue cook-off more than a quarter century ago. Shown here are, from left: Wayne Frankum; Gamblers team co-founder Marvin Jansky, now deceased; his son David Jansky; Ricky McMicken and Marvin's son Anthony, also deceased. The Gamblers team, which is now two teams (Gamblers 1 and Gamblers 2), is led by Marvin's widow Vivian and has participated in every cook-off since the year this photo was taken.

Vivian Jansky has been getting ready for this weekend's Wharton County Youth Fair Barbecue Cook-off for a mere 32 years.

Jansky and some version or another of her family team, The Gamblers, have participated in every year of the event since at least 1981.

"We've been in it forever," she said. Her late husband Marvin decided to enter the first fair competition in 1976, back when he was a regular off-duty cook for the workers at Schlumberger oilfield company in Wharton, who were well-known for their family parties.

"I don't know what it was," she said. "Many, many, many years ago, he cooked for Schlumberger, and when they started up the very first one, there was like 10 teams. They were in it there, the 'Schlumberger Oil Slicks.'"

By 1981, Marvin and Vivian entered the cook-off with a family team, The Gamblers.

The competition these days is very different from that first one in which her family competed.

"When we first started out, I made our T-shirts and aprons," Vivian said. "It wasn't overnight. You just had a little pit, and you slept in the back of the station wagon - that will tell you how long ago that was. Back then, they had it at the same time they had the fair. One time it had rained so much, it was so muddy, they had to pull our stuff in with tractors, and we had to walk around in rubber boots and mud for the cooking.

The Gamblers have continued to gather for the cook-off over all the years, in good times and bad. The Janskys had four children, but lost their son Anthony 12 years ago. Patriarch Marvin died in 2001.

"We were entered in that cook-off, but Marvin passed away in March," Vivian said. "We went out there anyway. We didn't cook, but we went out there in his memory."

These days, her preparations for the competition keep her occupied for quite a while.

"I start getting ready about a month ahead of time, making lists, making sure we have everything," she said. "Then I start picking out my meats. I'm real picky about my meats. I'll try out some new rubs and chili recipes, just keep trying everything out. My house right now is cluttered with stuff we're going to load at the last minute."

She said the family, which has grown so large there are two Gambler teams now, enjoying not only the competition of the cook-off, but simply being together.

"Ours is a family deal," she said. "My team, they're all right here, born and bred in Wharton. We love to cook. Marvin and I used to own our own barbecue place in Wharton. We do all the meats, and the chili and the beans, and we've placed

we've placed in lots of categories."

Although family involvement is huge, there's no other cook-off that interests the Gamblers.

"This is it," Vivian said. "We've been to other ones, but it's just too much work, so we mainly concentrate on this one here. I enjoy being with everyone at the cook-off. There's a lot of people we know there. Most of them are the same ones from year to year."

Her granddaughter, Sharla Svoboda, said pulling the family together for the cook-off is critically important to her grandmother.

"Every year, my grandmother is like, 'You better keep this going,'" Svoboda said, as she paused on her way to pick up her children from St. Philip school Monday. "She sees people there that she only sees once a year."

Svoboda said this year's event comes at a time of particular significance.

"It's kind of a special year for her because the cook-off is on the 25th, which would have been the 51st anniversary for her and my grandfather," Svoboda said. "Also, my brother is serving in Iraq, and the 25th is his birthday. So it'll be an emotional year for her."

If You Go

To meet and hear the stories of the Gamblers and the 119 other teams participating in this year's event, visit the Wharton County Youth Fair grounds in Crescent starting Friday night, April 25. A big party starts at 7 p.m., and on Saturday, gates open at 9 a.m. for visitors to wander the grounds.

Judging begins at 10 a.m. Saturday for showmanship, followed at noon by bean and chili judging. At 2 p.m., judging begins for barbecued chicken, ribs and brisket, and awards will be presented around 3:30 p.m.

Admission is $7 for adults and $3 for children ages 6 to 12.