Pine Island onions leaves them weeping

Pine Island - Ray Wesolowski of Westtown became the first Onion Eating Champion at the Pine Island Chamber of Commerce onion-eating contest this past weekend. He won a $100 gift certificate for dinner at the Jolly Onion Inn. All eight contestants, including four-year-old Alissa Madura, daughter of an onion farmer, and Warwick Supervisor Michael Sweeton, chomped down on raw Pine Island onions, the strong variety renowned as the most flavorful onions for cooking n and for making brave men weep. The contest was part of Summer Fest, organized by the Polish Legion of American Veterans (Local 16) and the Pine Island Fire Department. Each contestant was given one raw onion, peeled and weighed. Wesolowski downed his in one minute and 54 seconds. Dante da Parma of Pine Island was one munch behind him at 1 minute 55 seconds. No one else finished their onion. The Chamber of Commerce awarded all contestants a goodie bag containing Tums antacid tablets and a variety of breath mints.