March 26th, 2012
By Brian Dowlin
Item Editor
bdowlin@berksmontnews.com
The professional eaters who will wolf down burgers at this year’s Taste of Hamburg-er Festival will be doing so at a national eating contest.
Festival organizers have teamed with the All Pro Eating organization to orchestrate the Taste of Hamburg-er Festival National Hamburger Eating Championship, presented by Red Robin Gourmet Hamburgers. The competition is expected to draw 10-12 professional eaters who will vie for a $900 first place prize.
The first place winner will also receive a trophy, and the second and third place finishers will receive $500 and $200 respectively.
Prize money for the event will be provided through a $5,000 sponsorship from Red Robin, which also covers the event fees for All Pro Eating. Red Robin will also provide the hamburgers that the competitors will consume.
Attendees of this year's Taste of Hamburg-er Festival will have the opportunity to witness a national hamburger eating contest. Pictured is Christian Marks, who made his way from Catasauqua to enjoy the hamburger fest in 2011. - Carl Hess Photo
And the burgers cannot be consumed in odd ways, as is common in other eating competitions. According to Todd Greenwald, chairman of All Pro Eating, the contestants will have to adhere to the strict standards of “picnic style rules.”
“The rules are basically that the hamburgers need to be eaten as they’re presented to the competitive eaters,” said Greenwald. “You can’t dunk the hamburger. You can’t mash it. You can’t mush it. We don’t drink our food, we eat it. We want to eat it as Red Robin Gourmet Hamburgers present the hamburgers. There’s not going to be any dunking, any dipping, any tearing. We’re just going to enjoy the delicious flavor of that hamburger.”
Greenwald and other members of the All Pro Eating organization, which organized and ran 14 eating competitions across the country last year, will run the competition, emcee the event, and also provide marketing for the contest at the national level.
“They’ll hit more of the national marketing, where we’ll still do local,” said Deena Kershner, Taste of Hamburg-er Festival organizer and executive director of Hamburg’s Our Town Foundation.
Kershner said the Hamburg festival is contracted with All Pro Eating for one year as the site of the hamburger eating championship. She is expecting this year’s festival to have an additional 5,000 attendees in accordance with the rate of growth displayed by the festival over the last eight years.
The area that the festival covers will increase this year, as well, with the festival extending down to Second Street on State Street. Last year the festival ended at Third Street.
“Everybody enjoys the festival so much that we very rarely have any negative comment,” said Kershner. “With the amount of people that come to town, everything has always run smoothly and all the comments we get have been very positive.”
“There is no better spot to hold the National Hamburger Eating Championship than right there at Taste of Hamburg-er Festival,” said Greenwald. “I think we’re going to see some fantastic hamburger action and I think it’s going to be one of those events that is just fantastic to watch. I can guarantee that there’s going to be plenty of hamburgers that are eaten.”
Posted in News | No Comments »
March 23rd, 2012
The NHL Winter Classic creates such a buzz each January that fans talk about the game for weeks after the final buzzer. In April, after the snow and ice are gone, Central Pennsylvania hockey fans will get a melted down version of that special winter game when three of the most recognizable faces in hockey and their hilarious goalie join forces with some local hockey players — to raise money for the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition.
The “After-Winter” Classic, 24/7 for Breast Cancer is scheduled for Saturday, April 28th at 5:00 p.m. at the Klick Lewis Ice Arena in Annville. (outside of Hershey) The exhibition hockey game will feature the Red Robin Robin’s versus Team Advanced Imaging. Special guests for this year’s game include the original Hanson Brothers and goalie Denis Lemieux — from the movie Slap Shot.
The Hanson Brothers have already helped raise over $52,000 for the PBCC in prior appearances. The Hanson’s will wear their famous Charlestown Chiefs uniforms — complete with their signature black glasses. Denis Lemieux will coach and encourage – courtesy of Hockey Plus/Goalie Plus and the Batdorf Restaurant. The game will feature the use of pink pucks in a pink themed arena. At the first intermission, the Hanson’s will play in the En-Kay Sporting Goods Little Dudes Game — which will introduce area youth to old time hockey.
According to Rob Ziemba, Founder of “Play It Again” for Charity; “this year, we are adding Denny to the event to compliment the Hanson Brothers and it will be a real treat for the fans. Our mission has always been to connect the fan — with the fan favorite and this year — we went a step further. All our celebrities are great with the fans and this is a rare opportunity to see something totally unique. Our “after” winter classic theme will be just that – a classic!”
Tickets for the event are $5.00 each and are available at the door beginning at 3:30 p.m. This is a first come – first serve event. Fans that can’t make the game may support our event with a check made out the PBCC and mailed to: Play It Again for Charity, P.O. Box 272, Campbelltown, Pa. 17010.
Fans with paid admission will have the opportunity to meet and greet the Hanson Brothers and Denis Lemieux in the lobby at various times during the game. 8 x 10 photographs of all celebrities – will be available for $10.00 each and can be autographed for free.
Come join the fun on April 28th and enjoy the Hanson Brothers’ “on-and-off-ice” antics, meet the real goalie of the movie Slap Shot. There will be many hockey prize raffles, music by DJ Dave Stalnecker, food and fun. Interested fans can visit: www.slapshot2.org for more information. Come early!
Posted in News | 1 Comment »
March 7th, 2012
SouthWhitehallPatch.com
By Jenae Holtzhafer
Posted: March 5th, 2012
More than 30 participants impressed taste-testers during Asbury United Methodist Church’s fourth annual Chili Cookoff. This year’s event benefited Athletes for Christ.
Whether partial to chicken or beef, with beans or without, sweet or spicy, the variety of chilis at the fourth annual Chili Cookoff at Asbury United Methodist Church was enough to please any crowd.
Smells of spices and warmth filled the air upon entering the church’s Wesley Center Saturday, as competitors vied for the title of “People’s Choice” — in the amateur division and among the pros.
A short Zumba lesson was included for those who needed a break from their chili tasting. "Red," Red Robin's bird mascot, was happy to join in. Credit: Jenae Holtzhafer
According to event coordinator Jennifer Gast, winners were:
People’s Choice – Amateur (27 participants)
First Place – Germaine Lenz, Baja Bistro Chili
Second Place – Barry and Donna Zimmerman, Deer-licious Chili
Third Place – Paul and Olivia Theisen, Wisconsin’s Wurst Chili
Fourth Place – Adam Goldner, Chris Costa, Zach Getchis, CAZ’s Chocolate Chipotle Chili
People’s Choice – Pro (four professional chefs)
First Place – Genesis Healthcare, Todd Lehman
Second Place – Red Robin, Rachael Minor
Red Robin Chef Rachael Minor, of Nazareth, serves Athletes for Christ participants Megan Navitsky, 9, of Macungie and Emma Preh, 9, of Upper Macungie. Red Robin's chili took second place for "People's Choice - Pro." Credit: Jenae Holtzhafer
A total of $2,000 in freewill donations was raised throughout the evening, benefiting Athletes for Christ. The event offered chili, cornbread, popcorn, samples of chocolate pudding and free beverages.
Some vendors such as Red Robin and Texas Roadhouse offered coupons for free meals and bags of free peanuts. Door prizes were generously distributed to lucky guests throughout the evening.
Taste-testers also had the opportunity to “Climb the Mountain” to receive a ribboned medal, if they tasted all the chili offerings.
Gast said, “We lost count after the first 30 ‘Climbed Chili Mountain’ by tasting all 31 chili offerings. I’m guessing we came close to 50, adults and children.”
Posted in News | No Comments »
February 23rd, 2012
The Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Trexlertown holds the youth racing program from April through June.
UpperMacungiePatch.com
Posted: February 22, 2012
The Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Trexlertown is taking registrations now for the 2012 Spring Red Robin Marty Nothstein Bicycle Racing League.
You can sign your kids up now for the opportunity to learn how to train and race their bikes at The Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Trexlertown.
The program promotes healthy living through an active lifestyle and has produced countless future champions, including our Olympic gold medalist, Marty Nothstein.
The league is open to boys and girls, age 9-16, and runs from April to June. No experience necessary. We provide coaching, track bikes, and helmets (as needed).
All participants receive an official Red Robin Marty Nothstein BRL cycling jersey as well as a $25 gift card to Red Robin. Go to Bikereg.com to sign your kids up.
For more information, visit the Velodrome’s website.
Posted in News | 1 Comment »
