It seems natural that the small East Tennessee town of Bean Station would hold the Guinness Record for the largest pot of beans. Butt it doesn't.

Instead, that prestigious title belongs to the city of Horace, North Dakota, which set the current record in 2002 with a 350-gallon pot of musical fruit. Horace has been tooting its horn about that record ever since.

The city of Bean Station is determined to blow away that record with a 600-gallon pot. Problem is, they need money. Though Bush Brothers Beans has offered to donate 1,200 pounds of dry pinto beans, the city must fund construction of the six-foot diameter pot to cook them in. It will cost an estimated $8,000, a fartune for a small town budget.

Last week, the city silently released a cry for help, asking other Tennessee towns to support its efforts. Bean Station is looking for sponsors, whose company logos will be displayed prominently on a banner near the record-setting pot.

After the beans are baked, a senior citizens group will sell bowls of beans with cornbread, commemorative tee-shirts, and nose-plugs. Okay, we're kidding about the nose-plugs.

For more information about what's bean done, or to join the smellabration or sign up as a sponsor, go to the Bean Station website.