NATIONAL HAMBURGER FESTIVAL 2016
Transcript of NATIONAL HAMBURGER FESTIVAL 2016
NATIONAL HAMBURGER FESTIVAL 2016August 13-14, 2016 Saturday, 12-11pm • Sunday, 12-7pmLock 3 Park • Downtown Akron, OH
11th Annual
WWW.HAMBURGERFESTIVAL.COM
FESTIVAL BROCHUREDrew Cerza P. (716) [email protected]
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The 11th National Hamburger Festival celebrates the invention of the hamburger. Back in 1885, Frank and Charles Menches of Akron, Ohio were working as traveling concessionaires. Their travels took them to the Erie County Fair in Western New York, where the brothers came up with the idea to put some ground beef between two pieces of bread. The rest is history. Every year, hamburger afficiandos converge on Akron, Ohio for a real smorgasborg
The National Hamburger Festival marks its 11th anniversary of serving as the national celebration of the hamburger. Each year over 20,000 hamburger fans have enjoyed family fun, great entertainment and one of the largest assortments of hamburgers ever assembled in one place. The Food Network filmed the festival for a segment on their hit show “Unwrapped”. Local
media, including television, radio and print are always on-site for the annual event.
The citizens of Ohio and Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic have embraced the festival with open arms making the event one of Ohio’s favorite food festivals. The festival is held at historic Lock
3 Park in beautiful downtown Akron. The festival raises money each year for one of Akron’s favorite charities, the Akron Children’s Hospital.
Twenty restaurants serve up over 50 different styles of burgers to hamburger connoisseurs from northeast Ohio and beyond. Enjoy family fun
and entertainment with live music all weekend long. Crazy contests include the Ohio Hamburger Eating Championship, a burger cook-off, Miss Hamburger Pageant, a hamburger challenge between the Akron Fire Dept. and Akron Police, and even a bobbing for hamburgers contest in a kiddie pool full of ketchup.
The festival provides much civic pride for the City of Akron as well as its citizens as they stake claim to the invention of the hamburger.
SUPPORTING AKRON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
LOCATION Lock 3 Park - Downtown Akron, OH DATES• Saturday, August 13th - noon to 11pm • Sunday, August 14th - noon to 7pm CROWD ESTIMATE• 20,000+ patrons over two days
BENEFITING CHARITY• Akron Children’s Hospital
ADVERTISING• PRINT - Akron Beacon Journal• TV - WKYC (NBC)• RADIO - Rubber City Radio Group MEDIA MARKETSAkon, Ohio Cleveland, Ohio NATIONAL MEDIA COVERAGECNN & CNN Headline News Food Network - Unwrapped Parade Magazine Smithsonian Magazine
DEMOGRAPHICSAVERAGEAGE: 39% COLLEGE EDUCATED: 80% AVERAGE HH INCOME: $71,000 54% MALE 46% FEMALE CONTACTDrew Cerza (716) 565-4141 [email protected]
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
EVENT DETAILS
FESTIVAL CHARITYThe festival makes a donation every year to Akron Children’s Hospital. Hospital volunteers work at the festival helping to sell food and admission tickets as well as beverages.
MEDIA COVERAGE TV, Radio and Print media are big fans of the festival as they feature stories about the festival throughout the week and the weekend. The National Hamburger Festival has been featured on CNN’s Headline News, the Food Network’s hit show “Unwrapped” and in PARADE Magazine’s “Eat your Way Across America” as one of the top 50 festivals in the country.
2015 (Last Year’s) RESTAURANTSBaum Azz Candies and Fudge
Beachcomber’s Food Truck
Honey Gourmet Ice Cream
Jimmy G’s Barbeque
Legends Sports Pub
Li’l Grandpa’s Kettle Corn
Martini Brothers
Max & Erma’s
Menches Brothers
Midway OH Boy
Oh Sweet Treats
Quaker Funnel Cakes
Real Fruit Drinks
Retro Dog
Sammie’s Bar and Grill
Smoke, the Burger Joint
Southern Thangs Food Truck
Spinelli’s Mobile
The Pierogi Lady
The Stray Dog Cart
RESTAURANT BURGER COOK-OFF Participating restaurants have the opportunity to enter their recipes in a Burger Cook-Off featuring six different categories. Much pride is poured into the preparation and presentation of all entries. The winners took home bragging rights to their restaurants.
AMATEUR BURGERCOOK-OFF Backyard grillers compete to win the crown of best Amateur Hometown Burger. Hundreds enter their burgers for consideration each year. The recipes range from good old traditional, to out of the box ideas. The finalists have the opportunity to wow the local chef judges with their creation.
KICKOFF PRESS CONFERENCE
Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic, John Menches, and Festival Founder
Drew Cerza
David “Coondog” O’Karma (middle right)
FESTIVAL QUEEN PAGEANTNational Hamburger Festival Queen Pageant is a display of world class pageantry. Akron’s most beautiful ladies are on hand to display their talents, poise and beauty. The contestants go through preliminary judging to make it to the festival stage for the finals. The winning Hamburger Festival Queen makes several appearances to promote the festival throughout the year.
OHIO HAMBURGER EATING CHAMPIONSHIPSo you think you have the stomach for this contest? This is where we separate the kids from the big boys. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to eat as many hamburgers you can in 10 minutes.
THE KETCHUP BOWL: BOBBING FOR BURGERSIt’s fun. It’s messy. It’s a contest like none other. Your mission is to pluck as many hamburgers from a baby pool filled with ketchup in 3 minutes. The winner received a free t-shirt. Saying this contest is a festival favorite is an understatement.
KIDS ZONE
BABY BURGER CONTESTThe Baby Burger contest is open to boys and girls ages 2 to 5 years of age. Contestants wear their Sunday Best- nothing formal is needed. There will be the Baby Burger King or Queen, plus 1st runner up and 2nd runner up.
The National Hamburger Festival is a real family fun event. The Kids Zone provided kids and parents the opportunity to participate in arts and crafts, face painting, and of course hamburger eating and fun.
ENTERTAINMENT & FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!
WHO REALLY INVENTED THE HAMBURGER?
There is a dispute about who made the first hamburger and bun in America. Have you ever wondered where the first hamburger on a bun came from? Which story you believe depends on your definition of a hamburger. Is it a hamburger when served on a bun? Is it a hamburger when served between two slices of bread? Or maybe it is the first flat slab of ground beef served.
Most of the stories on the history of the hamburgers were before traditional media and proper recording devices were available. The claims are based on the recollections of family members. For many people, which story or legend you believe probably depends on where you are from.
At The Hamburger Hearings each city and family had representation that told their version of how the hamburger was invented. The verdict came back as a hung jury, and the vote was put out to the public via the web. After a month-long on-line vote at www.hamburgerfestival.com, the verdict was in. Hamburger Charlie of Seymour Wisconsin garnered 39% of the votes and was declared the winner in a close race. The Menches Brothers of Akron, OH had 31%. New Haven finished third and Athens, TX finished fourth.
With a winner declared, there are rumors circulating throughout the hamburger community that an appeal may be filed.
Festival Emcee David Lieberth
Judge James Murphy
The Defendants
2016 SCHEDULE OF EVENTSSATURDAY, AUGUST 13TH SUNDAY, AUGUST 14THNOON-11PM NOON-7PM
12-8pm
1:00-8pm
2-3:30pm
3:30-4pm
4-5pm
5-5:30pm
5:30- 6:30pm
6:30-7pm
7:00-8pm
8-8:30pm
8:30-11pm
Family & Children’s free activities/entertainment
Dennis George Trivia Show
Live Music - Rachel Roberts
“Bobbing For Burgers” Contest
Live Music - Ryan Humbert
National Hamburger Festival Queen Pageant
Live Music - Ryan Humbert
Hamburger Eating Contest
Live Music - Ryan Humbert
Restaurant Awards Ceremony
Fleetwood Mac Mania Tribute to the Music of Fleetwood Mac
12-7pm
1:00-6pm
noon -3pm
1-1:30pm
2-2:30pm
3-3:30pm
3:30-6:30pm
7:00PM
Family & Children’s free activities/entertainment
Dennis George Trivia Show
Live Music - Gaetano’s Underwood Blues Band Baby Burger Contest
Dennis George Original Variety Show
Amateur Hamburger Eating Championship
Live Music - The Stingers (Akron-based Smooth Jazz)
Festival Ends
CONTACT USFESTIVAL CONTACT: Drew [email protected]
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: HamburgerFestival.com
Facebook.com/NationalHamburgerFestival Twitter.com/hamburgerfest