The 30th Hotdish Hoedown was January 25, 2020. It featured fabulous food, out-of-town guests, singing, and an invitation-only showing of the documentary Hotdish Hoedown: The Endless Table. See photos of setup, Hoedown Night, Jell-Os, and aftermath. Guests flew or drove in from Portland, Oregon; Kentucky; Missouri; and Minnesota, included four of the hostess’ relatives from Minnesota. The fifth member of the Knutson clan, Ingrid, convinced her parents of the importance of attending the annual sleepover for her nordic ski team.
Setup
Four panels of invitation 
Kirby and Milo pick up drinks via dog park. 
Cole can’t resist a box nor decorations. 
2020 Jell-O Contest trophies, mostly created and repaired by Ladies Aid in 2019, as documented in “Hotdish Hoedown: The Endless Table.” 
2020 Hoedown trophies ready to take to community center 
Cole eyes debris from Jell-O trophies. 
Neighbor Jen Voichick shoveled the hostess’ sidewalk on Hoedown Day. 
Can’t have too many forks. 
Lily Sieling and Karen Faster. 
Setup crew at work. 
The setup crew shifted the Jell-O tables across the hall to accommodate viewing “Hotdish Hoedown: The Endless Table.” 
An important part of the cleanup plan. 
Judy Seymour (center) and Mary Sykes (right) sort through setup instructions while hostess Karen Faster observes. 
Special Jell-O Contest trophies for underage travelers from Minnesota.
Hoedown Night
From left: Linda Krumholz (profile), Lisa Dussault, John Fuller, Will Ashenbrenner, Dan Siebens. 
Food line. 
The endless table. 
Guests get closer to filling their plates. 
The food line spills out into the entry hall. 
Rona Bergum fills out her Jell-O entry paperwork. 
Simon Bergum, Rona Bergum and Nancy Jarvis count Jell-O Contest ballots 
Macy and Emily play Go Karen. 
Seated: John Morgan, Ellen Morgan and Nancy Elliott. 
The hostess’ nephew and niece, Haakon Knutson and Greta Knutson, received honors as special emissaries from Minnesota.
Jell-Os
2020 Jell-O No. 14 by Mark Bergum for Best Quid Pro category: I Will Make Music if You Rub Me Right 
2020 Jell-O No. 10 by the Ashenbrenners for category Best Quid Pro Quo 
2020 Jell-O No. 2 by Allie Berenyi and Miche Llanas for categories Best Quid Pro Quo / Pun: Squid Pro Fro with a Go Pro 
2020 Jell-O No. 8 by Jim Good for category Best Quid Pro Quo 
2020 Jell-O No. 7 by Suzanne Kosic for Best Representation of Impeachment: Whale, Whale, Whale — In Peach Mint 
2020 Jell-O No. 4 by Janet Wright and Lael Greenfield for Best Representation of Impeachment 
2020 Jell-O No. 43 by Fran Dachelet for category Best Representation of Impeachment 
2020 Jell-O No. 9 by Joe Ashenbrenner: Tallest Jell-O Structure 
2020 Jell-O No. 12 by Rona Bergum for category Tallest Jell-O Structure 
2020 Jell-O No. 6 Best Pun by Cooper Van Horn for category Best Pun: Do Not [Donut] Make Puns out of Jell-O 
2020 Jell-O No. 1 by Lois Quinn for category Best Tale Told: A Nod to Todd Rundgren: Hello It’s Me 
2020 Jell-O No. 5 by Jo Ann Kraus for category Best Tale Told: Mr. Jiggle 
2020 Jell-O No. 15 by Susie Feest for category Best Auto Correction 
2020 Jell-O No. 13 be Beth Rosen for Best Auto Correction category: I’ll drip your keys off at the coffeehouse in an hour. 
2020 Jell-O No. 11 by Nancy Jarvis for category Best Auto Correction: Margo Reeder, MD 
2020 Jell-O No. 3 by Lois Bergerson for category Best Use of Vegetables
Aftermath
Nearly 19 years old, Cole took advantage of Hoedown unloading onto the front porch and went next door, a near first for the indoor-only cat. 
Ready to load the dishwasher at 7:21 a.m., three minutes after sunrise on Hoedown Sunday. 
9 a.m.: First load ready to put away with more silverware to be loaded. 
9:01 a.m.: Still need to unload the dishwasher.
Cathy, Mat, Haakon and Greta pitch in to sort the first load of flatware. 
11:02 Hoedown Sunday: Second load ready to store, including breakfast dishes. The menu featured pancakes.
The pancakes were some of the worst ever, likely due to the Bisquik’s age. The visitors were gracious. 
