Kennywood's "Celebrate America" Festival Comes Back With Hot Dog Eating Competition

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The towering presence of Uncle Sam, joined by the Jocular Juggler and the annual antics of the Juggling Comedian, are a big part of Kennywood Park's "Celebrate America" festival.

And what could be more American than 240 hot dogs, prepared for hasty consumption?

Doug Junecko, sales manager for event sponsor Silver Star Meats, stated the rules for the hot dog eating contest.

"We give them the hot dogs, and they eat as many as they can in 10 minutes. Any reversals would not count, and they would be eliminated."

Tim Cain of Hookstown thinks he has a good chance to win.

"The No. 1 guy in Pittsburgh moved to South Carolina, and the No. 2 guy called me this morning and said he couldn't make it. So it's looking pretty good."

KDKA-TV's Dave Crawley had the honor of emceeing the epicurean battle. As minutes pass, Tim Cain and Stephanie Wu of Berkeley, Calif., separate themselves from the pack. At the end of 10 minutes, they each have 13, leading to a two-minute overtime.

Stephanie consumes four dogs in two minutes, to win the coveted trophy and a pair of Steelers tickets. Asked if she planned to have hot dogs for dinner, she replied, "Not for a long time."

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