By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Humane Society of the High Plains is expanding its space for the annual Soup ‘R Bowl, which will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 27 at the Ellis County Fairgrounds.
In years past, the event had been only in the Unrein Building, but this year the Humane Society has added the Schenk Building.
Alicia Tripler, Humane Society board president, said the board hopes the added space will help participants move between the soup stations more easily. Several vendors will also share with participants how their products and services relate to pets and pet owners.
Tickets are $7 in advance and $8 at the door. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Cerv’s; Petsense, 2508 Vine St.; Barkley Suites, 2202 Vine; Big Creek Veterinary Service, 2807 U.S. 183 Bypass; Fur is Flying, 700 E. Eighth; Hays Veterinary Hospital, 700 E. Eighth; Hillside Veterinary Clinic, 5250 Vine; and the Humane Society of the High Plains, 2050 E. Highway 40.
The event will have 14 soup stations this year. Some of the soup entries this year include taco soup, cheeseburger soup, vegetable dumpling soup, loaded baked potato, Italian soup, cheesy broccoli, vegetable dumpling, and one of last year’s favorites — Traeger brisket chili.
In some past years, chefs have run out of the most popular soups before the end of the event, but Tripler said this year all of the chefs have pledged to make enough soup to serve all attendees. This is equal to at least 10 gallons of soup per chef. Past events have served as many as 800 people.
The Humane Society also will offer for sale stamped bricks for the Humane Society Herb Garden, desserts, T-shirts and cookbooks containing recipes for all this year’s soups, plus the winner from last year. The T-shirts will have slogans such as “Adopt” and “Dog Hair Don’t Care” with the Humane Society logo on the back. There will also be a raffle.
The Humane Society hopes to raise at least $5,000. The money raised is dedicated to medical services for animals that come into the shelter. In 2018, the humane society spent $17,000 on animal medical care.
“Many times when the animals come in, they need medical treatment, whether they have an illness or a broken bone or they need their teeth cleaned or removed sometimes,” Tripler said. “We partner with local vets for the services for the Humane Society, but we do have to pay for those medical expenses.
“We appreciate the support from the community,” she added. “We are always pleasantly surprised how many people turn out for the event. We can’t wait to see everyone this year and see how they react to the additional space.”