HUNTINGTON — The 18th annual West Virginia Hot Dog Festival will bring hot dogs from around the state to Huntington to raise money for Hoops Family Children’s Hospital at Cabell Huntington Hospital.
The annual event will be Saturday, July 30, and will welcome everyone from adults to children and even the family dog to enjoy live entertainment and local vendors in Pullman Square.
The celebration takes place annually in July because that is National Hot Dog Month.
Eighteen years ago, John Mandt Jr., owner of Stewarts Original Hot Dogs, set out to create an event that would help people.
He did not know at the time that the Hot Dog Festival would go on to help educate children, while also benefiting children who were unable to attend the event due to illness.
The goal of the event is to not only bring people together, but also to raise money for children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. With the help of Hoops Family Children’s Hospital, he has been able to do so.
All the proceeds raised at the Hot Dog Festival go directly to helping children in the community. In the first five years, all the money raised went to the oncology department at Cabell Huntington Hospital, but since then it has grown to support different services and programs at Hoops Family Children’s Hospital.
Mandt was able to make this event possible with the help of iHeartRadio. The Hot Dog Festival was born July 30, 2005. That day, the festival raised $8,000, and since then the event has raised more than $250,000, but he says it would not be possible if it weren’t for the support of local businesses and donations.
This year’s event will feature live entertainment, a hot dog eating contest, car show, dog races and more. More information on the festival is available at www.wvhotdogfestival.com.
