Contest draws hot dog lovers from all over

Twenty people stood in front of five long folding tables in the Pharaoh Theatre parking lot with a plate of hot dogs in front of each of them. With temperatures close to 100 degrees and little cloud cover, it was not only the hot dogs that were piping hot.

As soon as the word “go” was announced, all 20 people started stuffing hot dogs into their mouths as fast as possible. To help make the consumption of so many dogs easier, each person was given two, 32-ounce glasses of water. Some drank, some dipped, others simply forgot the water was even there. After 10 minutes, a victor was crowned.

“I was planning a vacation this way and came across the contest as I was searching the Internet,” said Jon Boddy, from Greeley, Colo., who has won one other hot dog eating contest in the past. “I have done a lot of eating in my life, so I knew it was something I could do. All I do to prepare is eat large quantities of food frequently.”

Boddy won the inaugural hot dog eating contest, sponsored by Up Dog, Saturday on the Independence Square. He received a $500 cash prize. To win the title, Boddy ate 20 hot dogs, including buns, in only 10 minutes. Sean McKenzie, Independence, placed second, eating 16 hot dogs, and Jason Lorber, Independence, came in third with 12 hot dogs. Both McKenzie and Lorber received gift certificates to be used at any of the McClain restuarants.

“I have never done a hot dog eating contest before, so I think that might have been my biggest challenge,” said McKenzie, who has won two sausage eating contests at the Slavic Festival as well as two taco eating contests. “I am happy with my performance. I just like to enter contests like these because I can eat really fast.”

The contest was organized not only as a benefit for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Kansas City, but also to increase awareness of Up Dog to those in Eastern Jackson County. The restaurant, at the corner of Liberty Street and Maple Avenue on the Independence Square, will serve several kinds of hot dogs beginning sometime in August or September. Hot dogs include a traditional hot dog, the Detroit Dog and the Chicago Dog. All promotions and marketing for the business as well as the design of the restaurant have been handled by 11 Graceland University students who are serving as interns for Ken McClain this summer.

“This has been a great experience for all of us,” said Neal Fogerty, one of this year’s interns. “It has been a lot of fun, and it has taught us a lot of what to expect in the real world. Most interns get their boss food or coffee during their summer. We get to actually make it happen.”

McClain said the goal of the summer intern program is to give students in business or business-related majors a chance to learn through “real-word” experiences. He said in that way, students can apply what they learn in the classroom in a hands-on way. Last summer, McClain’s interns reopened the Main Street Coffeehouse.

“These interns have done an excellent job with Up Dog,” he said. “I really think this restaurant will add another offering to the Square. We have had some great success with Square Pizza, so this is another quick grab option for our visitors. I believe it is about time for Kansas City to have such a place and what better place than right here in Independence.”

For more information, visit the Up Dog Web site ate www.eatupdog.com.