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Folks flock to hot dog eating contest
Regan Hill
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Published: August 30, 2009
Will Millender's entire body bobbed to the rhythm of "Play that Funky Music" as he pushed the last inch of hot dog in his mouth Saturday.
After taking a quick swig of water, the Brooklyn, N.Y., resident opened his mouth wide and raised his hands in triumph.
He downed eight hot dogs in two minutes, 10 seconds to capture the Labor Day Festival and Hot Dog Competition at Ole' World Market on Eastway Drive.
"I'm a speed guy to begin with," Millender said. "I got used to eating with music. That's the style I've picked up."
Once professional eater Dale Boone, from Atlanta, won the first round in two minutes, 36 seconds, Millender knew he had the contest in the bag. He's eaten four hot dogs in 45 seconds before.
Millender couldn't close his wallet after store owners Chris and Tonya Gibson gave him the $1,000.
The event raised money for the Adam Schweitzer Memorial Fund and the J. Hoyt Hayes Memorial Troutman Library.
Grownups weren't the only ones testing their gastric limits. Teenagers chowed down on pizza from Pellegrino's Trattoria and the little ones ate chicken nuggets.
"I think it went really great," Tonya Gibson said after the event was over. "We had quite a turnout. The kids had fun. We had fun."
The Gibsons, who opened their business this summer, plan to make the contest and Labor Day celebration an annual event.
This year, the contest attracted hungry mouths from as far away as Georgia, California, New York and New Jersey. Residents of Statesville, Troutman and other parts of the state also participated.
Before the contest, Boone said he had a feeling he would do well.
"I'm on all the cylinders today," he said. "I'm all fired up. I do this every single weekend."
Boone, a member of the World League of Competitive Eating, has competed internationally in Japan and India.
Troutman resident Jeff Williams said he believed he had a good chance to win before he saw the competition.
"It's for a good cause," he said. "It gets depressing when they tell you they are going to get it done in a minute."
Most of the children participating in the events were locals. Lexie Miller was the only girl participating in the pizza-eating contest.
She said she felt a little sick after trying to wolf down two pizzas.
Her mom, Jennifer, said Lexie had eaten lunch before she'd arrived at the event and was convinced to enter with her brother, Jonathan.
"She was just enjoying it," said Jennifer, who was at the event with Quick Clips, which was giving haircuts to raise money for autism research and awareness.
Troutman resident Brett Harvey won the contest and planned to use the $100 he won to take his parents to Saturday's football game at South Iredell High School.
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