Some competitive eaters wanting to earn their way to Coney Island will have to go through Shawnee first.
The Old Shawnee Days festival at the Shawnee Town 1929 historic site will host a qualifying event for Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest on Saturday, June 7 at 6 p.m.
Top male and female eaters will advance
The top male and female finishers at the event in Shawnee will advance to compete in Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest on July 4, carried out on the iconic Coney Island boardwalk and broadcast live.
“Nathan’s Famous is traveling the nation seeking athletes to represent the United States in the July Fourth holiday celebration,” said Phil McCann, vice president of marketing at Nathan’s Famous, said in a press release. “The Independence Day contest is a tradition like none other, with tens of thousands of fans visiting the Nathan’s Famous flagship and more than one million people watching the live broadcast on ESPN.”
Tens of thousands of people typically flock to Coney Island on Independence Day to watch the proceedings.
Nathan’s Famous does July 4 contest each year
The event has garnered significant attention in recent years, particularly with the rise in fame of Joey Chestnut, who has won the contest 16 times, consuming a record 76 hot dogs and buns in just 10 minutes in 2021.
At last year’s contest in New York, Pat Bertoletti of Chicago ate 58 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes to win the men’s title. (Chestnut was barred from the 2024 contest after he signed a deal with a rival organization to Major League Eating, which sponsors the Coney Island event.)
Miki Sudo of Florida became the 10-time female champion last year by consuming 51 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.
Other qualifying events this year will be hosted in Hershey Park, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Pleasanton, California, and Cleveland, Ohio.
“We are waiting for the next great champion to emerge. Who will seize this moment and punch their ticket to Coney Island?” said Sam Barclay, emcee at Major League Eating.
With a carnival barker’s bravado, Barclay added that the Shawnee contest “promises to be one of the greatest athletic events in the history of Kansas.” (KU and K-State fans may disagree but you get the point.)
Old Shawnee Days is June 5-8
Shawnee city officials are fully in on the bit.
“The city of Shawnee is fired up to be one of four qualifier events for the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. We wish all competitors good eating and hope they can cut the mustard to qualify for a trip to Coney Island,” city spokesperson Doug Donahoo said.
“We relish the opportunity for the contestants to experience Old Shawnee Days and to catch up on all the great things happening in Shawnee. Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest is truly an American institution and, to be frank, we’re thrilled to have a piece of it here in Shawnee.”
Old Shawnee Days, one of the city’s biggest annual events, runs this year from Thursday, June 5, to Sunday, June 8.
In addition to the hot dog eating qualifier on the Saturday of the event, there will also be a carnival, a parade, live music and local vendors over the four-day fesitval.
