FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

America’s Best Hamburgers are in Northeast Ohio!

Fourth Annual National Hamburger Festival to Kick-Off
July 18 and 19 in Downtown Akron at Lock 3 Park
 

AKRON, Ohio (July 1, 2009) – Akron invites the nation to come back for the Fourth Annual National Hamburger Festival.  After drawing more than 20,000 people last year, the fun, food and friendly competition will resume at Lock 3 Park on Saturday, July 18th and Sunday,
July 19th, complete with live music and quirky burger-themed games. Part of the festival proceeds will once again benefit the Akron Children’s Hospital. Last year’s event raised over $5,000 for the Hospital.

Festival hours are Saturday, July 18th from noon to 10:30 pm and Sunday, July 19th from noon to 7 pm.  Tickets will be sold at the gate for $5.00 per person.  Admission is free for children under 48-inches tall.  Food and beverages will be sold separately.

Fueled by controversy among four different cities over who invented the hamburger, a 45-minute mock trial, coined the “Hamburger Hearings,” was held the first year of the festival and resulted in a hung jury. A subsequent online vote named Seymour, Wisconsin, as the hamburger’s home. 

Still, the hunger for char-grilled glory pervades far beyond the inventors’ rivalry.  Restaurants will vie for bragging rights in five different categories of the National Burger Cook-Off as 16 eateries will serve over 50 different varieties of burgers.  Check out www.hamburgerfestival.com for a complete listing of the participating restaurants. A variety of other summertime favorite foods will also be available.

This year, four new eateries will be joining the festival. Fuddruckers, Bravo! Cucina Italiana, Midway Oh Boy! will be making their first appearances at The National Hamburger Festival. 
Also new this year, winner of the 2009 Minneola FL Hamburger Contest, Red Wing Restaurant will be serving up the burgers that won them the title.

A new and exciting contest will be introduced this year! Vlasic will host “crunch-offs’ throughout the festival. This competition is open to everyone, and each round will include two or more people. Each competitor will receive a Vlasic Baby Kosher Dill Pickle. A microphone will be held up to each person, one at a time, and allow them the opportunity to take a bite into their pickle and show off their LOUDEST pickle crunch. The person who crunches the loudest will get a prize, but every person who participates gets a free pickle so everyone wins right? The famous Vlasic Stork will be in attendance to meet fans, take pictures and even help judge the contest! The contests will take place consistently from 12:00pm – 5:00pm throughout Saturday and Sunday at the Vlasic Tent. At the top of every hour (starting at 1:00 p) three contestants will “crunch off” on the main stage. The competitive spirit will continue with the Miss Hamburger Pageant, the Baby Burger Contest and the Ohio Burger Cook-Off for backyard grillers.

The festival will feature live music all weekend long.  On Saturday afternoon “The ReBeats” will entertain the festival crowd with the rockin’ music of the 60’s.  Lock 3 Park will turn into a big party atmosphere on Saturday night with “1964 The Tribute” performing the music of The Beatles.  Sunday afternoon will feature the classic rock and the sounds of Motown music of “Red House” at Lock 3 Park from 2:00 to 5:00 pm.

“The City of Akron is proud to be the principal sponsor of the National Hamburger Festival.” said Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic. “It benefits our residents, it brings excitement to Greater Akron, and it unites the local community of providers of food and beverage services into a celebration of what makes our city great.”

In addition to the more than 50 different hamburger varieties from 16 eateries, there will be other Akron-favorite foods, with the restaurants set up on Main Street adjacent to Lock 3 Park.  Kids will have plenty to do, as well, with inflatable rides and even a Kid Zone that will include arts and crafts.

“Akron is the perfect place for this great national festival,” said Drew Cerza, founder of the event.  He cited Akron’s Americanism and housing of the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame, branding the city the “Hamburger Capital of the World.”

National Hamburger Festival Main Stage Schedule:

Saturday, July 18, 2009
Festival Hours 12:00 pm – 10:30 pm                                                                                             

Live Music
2:00 – 3:00 pm            Alex Bevan                                                    
4:00 – 8:00 pm            “The ReBeats”
8:30 – 10:15 pm          “1964 The Tribute”

Contests
3:00 pm                       Bobbing for Burgers                           
4:30 pm                       Restaurant Hamburger Cook-Off Winner Announcement               
6:00 pm                       Ohio Hamburger Eating Championships                              
7:30 pm                       Miss Hamburger Festival Contest
           

Sunday, July 19, 2007
Festival Hours 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Live Music
2:00 – 5:00 pm            “Red House”

Contests
1:00 pm                       Baby Burger Contest
3:00 pm                       Best Traditional Hamburger Cook-Off
                                    Best Creative Hamburger Cook-Off

Additional information is available at www.hamburgerfestival.com.