The average American eats three hamburgers a week. The average Akronite will raise that average next weekend as the National Hamburger Festival returns to Lock 3. 2009 marks the 4th year the festival has graced our Main Street.  The event brings out the crowds and plenty of beefy goodness.

If you love value meal, drive-through burgers, you’re out of luck as McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and Hardees’s (Carl’s Jr.) will be absent. Instead the event will showcase burgers cooked by local restaurateurs, Metro Burger, Crave, Menches Brothers, and Barley House as well as regional chains like Steak ‘n Shake, White Castle, and Fuddruckers.

Beyond the obvious burgers, there will be live music, a bobbing for burger contest, an eating competition, and a Miss Hamburger pageant. New this year, Vlasic will be hosting a pickle crunch contest where contestants attempt to bite a pickle the loudest. A few Akron celebrities have made appearances in the past including professional competitive eater Coondog O’Karma, “genuine nerd” Toby Radloff, and the Hamburgler.

Festival hours are Saturday, July 18th, from noon to 10:30 pm and Sunday, July 19th, from noon to 7 pm.  Tickets will be sold at the gate for $5.00 per person. All ticket sales benefit Akron Children’s Hospital. Admission is free for children under 48-inches tall.

A special note to all Akron vegans, PETA activists, and those interested in a vegetarian option, reservations are available at Vegiterranean by calling (330) 374-5550.

For more information visit: http://www.hamburgerfestival.com

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