Perhaps you have heard of “Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest”?, or maybe not. Either way it goes, Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest is held every year on the Fourth of July at Coney Island. It has become so popular that competitive eaters from around the world try to qualify to compete in this event. What you might wonder is: what does Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest have to do with the Fourth of July and our American Independence? Well the answer is rather simple. History has it that four immigrants competed in a hot dog eating contest on the Fourth of July in 1916 to try and settle a dispute. The dispute was over who was the most patriotic.
Now that you know a little about the history of Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest, you might be wondering how you can host your own Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest. If that is the case you are going to be sorely disappointed because there is only one contest. Every year this contest is held at the original Nathan’s Hot Dog stand in Coney Island. Even though Nathan’s has restaurants in various locations throughout the United States, the hot dog eating contest is held at the original and no place else. Another interesting fact about the hot dog eating contest is that it is actually televised on ESPN every year.
Now that you are probably seething with disappointment because you expected to find out how you can host your own Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest let me try and cheer you up a bit. While there is no way possible for you to purchase a franchise or call your hot dog eating contest “Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest”? due to trademark laws, you can still have your own hot dog eating contest in your backyard.
Here are the steps you will need to take to have your own hot dog eating contest.
Step one:
The first thing you are going to have to do is invite people to your barbecue who are going to be willing to participate in a hot dog eating contest. If you want to make it a neighborhood event you can always post signs up in the neighborhood asking for contestants.
Step two:
The second thing you need to do is buy the hot dogs. If you want Nathan’s hot dogs and there isn’t a restaurant in your state, you can always order them online at their website.
Step three:
Now that you have prepared your backyard for your Fourth of July party with the Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest or something similar, you can contact your local news station or newspaper to see if they would be interested in providing some type of news coverage for your event.
Step four:
Now you have to set up the rules for your hot dog eating contest. Are you going to make your competitors practice before the final match or participate in qualifying events so that they can secure a space or something else? Whatever it is, you need to let the contestants know about the rules and regulations ahead of time.
Step five:
Now that you have all the preparations taken care of you are ready to host your event. Make sure that you publicize it well and let all your friends and neighbors know. The bigger the crowd there is, the better your turn-out will be next year.
Just keep in mind that you won’t be attracting world class competitive eaters because they can only participate in three events each year. So relax and enjoy yourself at your home version of “Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest”?. Just keep in mind that because the name is trademarked you can not use it without the owner’s permission.
