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FOR MORE INFORMATION
Brian Kahle, Festival PR: (716)-479-1055
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
World Hot Dog Champ to “Wing it” in Buffalo!
Joey Chestnut to Challenge Sonya Thomas at
NATIONAL BUFFALO WING FESTIVAL!
It’s going to be a “David and Goliath” match-up, featuring the diminutive Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas versus Joey “Jaws” Chestnut in the 2010 United States Chicken Wing Eating Championship.
The place to see it is the 9th Annual NATIONAL BUFFALO WING FESTIVAL, which will be held on Labor Day Weekend, SEPTEMBER 4TH & 5TH at Buffalo’s Coca-Cola Field.
Thanks to the Pepto-Bismol Challenge, Chestnut will be “winging it” in Buffalo on both Saturday and again on Sunday.
On Saturday, September 4th, he will take on a team of five challengers in a 7 minute eating contest. Those wanting to take on this world-class eater can sign-up at the Pepto-Bismol booth between Noon and 2:00pm. Five entrants will then be chosen at random to compete. In addition to this contest, Joey Chestnut will also take-on five local media sports celebrities. Based on total wing consumption, a team that defeats him will walk away with bragging rights to the “Pepto Cup” trophy, along with $100 cash and a year’s supply of Pepto-Bismol for each member. Fans of Chestnut can also meet him at the Pepto-Bismol booth, where he will talk about his competitive eating techniques.
On Sunday, September 5th, Chestnut will take on twelve professional eaters in the United States Chicken Wing Eating Championship. This “Main Event”, which takes place at 3:30pm, includes festival favorite Sonya Thomas. Even though Sonya has dominated the competition by winning the last three years, it remains to be seen if she is good enough to beat Joey, who also has several titles “under his belt”, including his recent 4th straight victory in the prestigious Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating competition at Coney Island.
Both of these competitive eating stars hold world records for their consumption of chicken wings. Thomas holds the 12-minute record, which she established at the 2005 National Buffalo Wing Festival by eating 174 wings, while Chestnut holds the 30-minute record, after consuming 241 wings in 2008.
While Sonya Thomas is only 5 feet tall and weighs just 105 pounds, that doesn’t mean that she’ll be outdone by the 230 Pound Joey Chestnut, who stands six feet, two inches tall. Festival founder and “Wing King” Drew Cerza says, “One thing Sonya Thomas has taught us over the years at the Wing Fest is that size doesn’t determine the winner in Buffalo Wing competitive eating.” Fact is, in this “Super Bowl” of chicken wing challenges, Thomas is used to plucking victory from the “jaws” of bigger competitors.
Major league eating chairman George Shea proclaims, “The National Buffalo Wing Festival is one of the great eating events of the year, but this year promises to be ever greater…a true clash of the titans.. He adds, Chicken Wings are the great leveler in the sport of competitive eating, as style and skill is as important, if not more important, than stomach capacity”.
As the “Wing King” points out, this will be their first “head to head” chicken wing eating competition…an event not to be missed! By the way, Sonya Thomas will also defend her title in the “Buffalo Buffet Bowl”, scheduled for 6pm on Saturday, September 4th.
The NATIONAL BUFFALO WING FESTIVAL has become a tourism magnet for Western New York. Over 5000 surveys taken at last year’s event revealed that out of town guests represented 49 states and 30 different countries (Arkansas was a no-show). A record crowd of 91,000 chicken wing lovers ate more than 37 tons of wings. Over the course of the festival’s 9 year history, half a million attendees have consumed 2.9 million wings.
The president and CEO of the Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau, Dottie Gallagher-Cohen, says
“The National Buffalo Wing Festival continues to draw hungry visitors from around the world to celebrate Buffalo’s most famous food-the chicken wing. As guests explore Buffalo, after visiting the festival, they find that wings are only the start of what’s exciting about our city”.
Festival highlights for 2010 will again include the Buffalo Blue Cheese Bowl, the Miss Buffalo Wing Pageant, the Baby Wing Pageant, and the Restaurant and Amateur Sauce-off competitions. New this year is a Media Wing Eating Contest, Yancey’s Fancy Cheesiest Couple contest, and the “Ridiculously Hot Wing Eating Contest”.
There will, of course, be live entertainment, as well, featuring the Dennis George Original Variety Show, Terry Buchwald, Pirate Dreams, Party Squad, and the Boneshakers Blues Band.
The Blue Light Refreshment Duo, famous for their television commercials, will attend this year’s Wing Fest. The Duo, dubbed guardians of refreshment and protectors of good times, will be available at their ‘Satellite Refreshment Headquarters’, near the Blue Light tent, at various times on Saturday and Sunday.
As always, there will be more than 100 varieties of Chicken Wings for guests to savor from more than 30 national and local chicken wing eateries. Many other Buffalo and summertime favorite foods will also be available.
The 2010 NATIONAL BUFFALO WING FESTIVAL will benefit several local charities, including Americorps, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Alzheimer’s Association, and Meals on Wheels. Over eight years, $165,000 has been raised for local charities.
The 2010 NATIONAL BUFFALO WING FESTIVAL is presented by Yancey’s Fancy, Frank’s RedHot and Pepto-Bismol. Sponsors include the Buffalo Bisons, Labatt’s, Barber Foods, Marie’s Blue Cheese, Bimbo Bakeries, Seaboard Farms, Buffalo Lager, Wing Dings, Rosina Foods, Bunge Oil, and US Foods.
Festival hours are 12pm to 9pm on Saturday and 12pm to 7pm on Sunday.
Festival admission is still only $5.00 for adults. Children 8 and under are admitted for FREE.
For more information about the 2010 NATIONAL BUFFALO WING FESTIVAL visit www.BuffaloWing.com.
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