TIME TO PIG OUT
Thousands attend annual event
TROY, N.Y. » Thousands of people visited William D. Chamberlain Riverfront Park on Saturday for the 11th annual Troy Pig Out.
The annual event is hosted each year in downtown Troy by the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District.
The family friendly event took place from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Troy Pig Out offered activities for all ages, palettes, and interests. The festival included a hot dog and pie eating contest, cornhole competition, the Dinosaur BBQ People’s Choice Awards, food and craft vendors, live music throughout the day, and Fireworks over the Hudson River at dusk.
Troy Pig Out features live music by Sly Fox & The Hustlers, Vinny Michaels, Patrick Sharrow, Victory Soul Orchestra and Tom McWatters. Between bands to guests could experience the third annual Hot Dog Eating Contest with Famous Lunch, and participate in the Collar City Cornhole Tournament.
There were also plenty of activities for the whole family including a piggybank painting project and a tent to see owls, hawks, and ravens up close. People were also able to stroll through the craft vendors offering clothing for all sizes, seasonings & sauces, locally made T-shirts, photographs by a local photographer, and jewelry (Egyptian, sealife objects and semi-precious stones).
“The people that show up are just so invested and really wanting their BBQ,” said Katie Hammon, executive director of the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District, who noted that they expect over 20,000 people to attend throughout the day. “People love to come for lunch, come for dinner, come back for fireworks, they are here constantly throughout the day.”
Many guests said that they enjoy coming back to the event each year and they are glad that the event continues to be hosted each summer.
“We really enjoy it; it’s a great event that Troy puts on every year, we’re regulars of the farmer’s market, so it’s nice
to see both of them here, I love the music and the atmosphere,” said Craig Jasenski of Averill Park, who was there with a couple other people.
“I love all of the BBQ and the smell of it all here. I try to come to it every year,” added Michael Flanders of Troy.
The first hot dog eating contest of the day took place around 11 a.m. and was won by Troy resident David Gross, who finished roughly 26 hotdogs in five minutes.
“I grew up eating Helmbolds hot dogs, so I had a little practice for a few years of my life, so I figured I would do OK,” said Gross, after winning. “I just dunked them in some water to make them soft and easier to go down.”