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Ribfest hosts one of nation’s qualifying events for Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog-Eating Contest

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Above / Ribfest hosted Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog-eating Contest qualifying circuit on July 1, 2017.  Eight new contestants who ate countless franks were introduced by barker Sam Barclay right here in River City. Returning contestant Juan Rodriguez joined the group on stage after this photo was taken.

2017 Ribfest, just before fireworks!

UPDATE, July 4, 2017 / Gotta love the banter…  Joey Chestnut downs 72 hot dogs and buns, “7.1 dogs per minute” to become the “greatest eater in the history of mankind” and an example of “American exceptionalism,” according to Major League Eating Chairman George Shea.

After ten minutes Chestnut was 15 hot dogs and buns in the lead over Matt Stonie who took second place in the gut-wrenching competition as Nathan’s Hot Dogs celebrates its 100th anniversary.

(Thanks, Sponsorship Co-Chair Annmarie Siwik, for helping to arrange this one-of-a-kind MLE competition and eating-like-a-pig entertainment at 2017 Ribfest! Quite frankly, kids who missed watching Saturday’s competition said they really enjoyed trying to win the Nathan’s Hot Dog hats at one of the games. The two youngsters here liked the ice cream in the sponsors’ tent, too.)

PHOTO GALLERY / Click any photo to enlarge. 

[shareprints gallery_id=”75496″ gallery_type=”squares” gallery_position=”pos_center” gallery_width=”width_100″ image_size=”small” image_padding=”0″ theme=”dark” image_hover=”false” lightbox_type=”slide” titles=”true” captions=”true” descriptions=”true” comments=”true” sharing=”true”]Nine contestants took positions along a table on stage in the South Park at Ribfest to participate in Naperville’s first qualifying competition to send an Illinois representative to Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest in Coney Island, New York on Tues., July 4, 2017.

In 10 minutes lickety split, the two qualifiers in the the male and female contests had finished a total of 41 and a half hot dogs and buns.

With no competition, Marlene Wigginton from Troy, Illinois, had devoured 11 hot dogs and buns.

“I’m stuffed and happy that I got to 10,” said Wigginton, as she was set to make flight plans to New York.

Juan Rodriguez from Crestwood, Illinois, topped seven other men to be the victor in the male category. He downed 30 and one half hot dogs with buns.

Eric Vernsten from Chicago finished second in the male group, downing 16 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.


Local hot dog-eating champ will win trip to July 4th Finals in Coney Island

Every year the Exchange Club of Naperville information booth provides information about the service club during the 4-day festival. Anyone who enters the hot dog-eating will want to know it’s for a good cause.

Original Post, May 25, 2017 / Nathan’s Famous will host the Illinois qualifier for the annual Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest at 3PM on Sat., July 1 at Ribfest on the South Stage.

The top male and female finishers in the event will qualify for a seat at the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, Brooklyn, on July 4, 2017, where they will face reigning champions Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo.

“I am getting a lot of questions about cool things at Ribfest this year,” said event publicist Erin O’Donnell for Exchange Club of Naperville, chartered in 1987.

The 30th anniversary of the Exchange Club of Naperville will be celebrated during the four-day rib and music festival to benefit many local nonprofit and charitable causes. Many of this year’s attractions are new. The Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog-eating contest is among other inaugural attractions that event planners want to share for public consumption.

Journey to New York on Independence Day

“The journey to July 4 and the high point of summer has begun,” stated Scott Harvey, executive vice president of Nathan’s Famous, in the news release. “Nathan’s is honored to be traveling the nation in search of new eating talent to participate in our annual July 4 tradition.”

“Competing in Coney Island on July 4 is item number one on most people’s bucket list,” said Major League Eating (MLE) Chairman George Shea. “Illinois is known for great eaters and we are confident that we will find a local athlete in Naperville who can represent the great state of Illinois on our nation’s birthday.”

Joey Chestnut of San Jose, California, currently holds the title of hot dog-eating world champion after defeating Matt Stonie with a July 4 world-record 70-hot-dog performance in 2016. Chestnut’s all-time best is a world record 73 Nathan’s Famous hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. Miki Sudo of Las Vegas, Nevada, will defend her title as female champion, having consumed 38 1/2 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes in 2016.

In recent years, an estimated 35,000 fans have traveled to the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island to watch the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest in person. The live telecast of the event has consistently attracted millions of viewers since ESPN first aired the contest in 2004.

According to legend, the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest has occurred every Independence Day in Coney Island since 1916, the year Nathan Handwerker opened the legendary restaurant.

MLE, the governing body of all stomach-centric sports, sanctions the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog-Eating Circuit and ensures the contests are judged professionally and that safety standards are in place at each event.

Those interested in competing in the Illinois qualifier should visit www.majorleagueeating.com to obtain information and register. All competitors must be over 18 years of age.

Exchange Club of Naperville and Ribfest

To mark its first 30 years, 2017 Ribfest introduced a new mascot named Curly HAMilton, eager to cheer on all the festivities for a cause.

Exchange, America’s Service Club, is a group of men and women working together to make our communities better places to live through programs of service in Americanism, Community Service, Youth Activities, and its national program—The Prevention of Child Abuse.

Chartered in 1987, the Exchange Club of Naperville is dedicated to the elimination of child abuse and domestic violence. Through financial contributions to more than 50 local charities, the Exchange Club has raised more than $12.5 million from its service activities at Ribfest.

Project HELP is a nonprofit organization established by the Exchange Club of Naperville in 1992, and accredited by the National Exchange Club as a Child Abuse Prevention center. Through home-based mentoring and parent education training, Project HELP provides parents with the proper tools, parenting tips, advice, and support necessary to create a nurturing home environment that encourages children to reach their full potential.

RELATED POST / Exchange Club seeks name for mascot, offers fun end-of-school-year activity

Editor’s Note / Your PN editor always will remember a time in 4th grade when her Girl Scout Troop participated in a hot dog-eating contest during the Westview Elementary School Fall Festival. She won by devouring five boiled hot dogs in buns before any other girl. And she hasn’t looked at a hot dog the same way since.

 

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PN Editor
PN Editor
An editor is someone who prepares content for publishing. It entered English, the American Language, via French. Its modern sense for newspapers has been around since about 1800.

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