Hamburger Festival
1 Sep
Today, I had the pleasure of experiencing my first “Hamburger Festival.”
Let me explain…
The Hamburger Festival is held in Hamburg, PA, once a year (this was the ninth annual). There are over 25 hamburger stands, as well as various vendors and entertainment. There’s even a national hamburger-eating contest, sponsored by Red Robin! (You can read more about the festival here.)
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We’ll get to what I ate at the festival in a minute, but first I wanted to share my breakfast.
Although the high for today was around 90*, I was craving a bowl of hot oatmeal, so that’s what I went with. I cooked up 1/2 c. oats in 1 c. skim milk. I also added in one (very ripe) banana as the oatmeal was cooking.
Toppings included a sprinkling of chia seeds, peanut butter, cinnamon, and honey.
(Oh, and of course I had some pumpkin spice coffee on the side.)
I wish I weren’t out of bananas so I could duplicate this breakfast tomorrow!
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Ok, now onto the good stuff…
My uncle, aunt, and younger cousins live in Hamburg and happen to have just moved to a house that sits right in the middle of the festival.
This was the scene from their front porch:
This made everything pretty convenient for the whole family to swing by and enjoy the festivities!
The options were overwhelming; with so many different types of hamburgers to choose from, it was difficult to decide where to stop and actually eat.
A few of us decided on purchasing burgers from the Penn Werner stand.
I wanted to go with the portabella mushroom burger, but it also had caramelized onions which I’m not a fan of. When I found out that the onions were mixed in with the mushrooms and couldn’t be left off, I decided to go with the Texas Tim burger… grilled hickory ham, smoky BBQ sauce, and melted cheddar cheese.
It was so good, and now I want to check out the actually Penn Werner Hotel, since I’ve never been before!
My cousin’s husband, Chad, decided to try one of the most unusual burgers at the festival – the Luther.
A bacon cheeseburger with two glazed donuts as the bun!
I was also tempted by a few of the dessert options:
I spent quite a bit of time contemplating one of those fried Oreos, but decided I really didn’t need it, especially since I had a small cup of cappuccino gelato (which was very good!).
As I mentioned earlier, there were all sorts of vendors in attendance, and I stopped to chat with a woman at the Great Dane rescue for a bit.
The spotted one is trying to be a lap dog!
These dogs were so adorable and so sweet! The woman I talked to said the dogs are on a raw meat diet, but if they were getting dog food, they’d be eating 2 cups, twice a day!
After circling around the festival, we headed back to my aunt and uncle’s house for a bit before heading home. I was glad I got to attend the festival, as I had heard good things from my parents about last year’s! While I’ve never been the world’s biggest burger fan, I’m slowly coming around. I wouldn’t mind recreating the Texas Tim at home sometime soon!
Does your town/area have any local events similar to the Hamburger Festival?
Have you ever tried a fried Oreo? It took every ounce of willpower in me to decide against one!
Looks like fun!!
love the great Danes!
They were so cute!
Oh, fried Oreos are good! I used to get them at this little street festival in my old town. 1 is definitely enough at one time though!
Stef recently posted..Hello, September.
I sort of wish I would’ve tried one! Ah well…
I went to school at NC State where Krispy Kreme was established and at the state fair they had a Krispy Kreme burger!
Oh my goodness! I love Krispy Kreme but I don’t know if I could eat that! haha
I love fried oreos! I also have always wanted to try one of those burgers with the donuts haha. they look so interesting!
Danielle @ itsaharleyyylife recently posted..#HLSDesign
Agreed! He said it was good! I do like salty/sweet things so I’d believe that it was probably tasty!
I would have been all about the Mac n Cheese burger. Amazing. Not so sure about a burger with donut buns. Yuck!
My town has a Mac n Cheese fest. Southerners…
Abby @ BackAtSquareZero recently posted..Paul Ryan’s Marathon Madness
I know! I thought that sounded good too, but there wasn’t really anywhere to sit and eat and I was worried it would be too messy! A mac and cheese fest sounds like heaven on earth haha
Hamburg is such a cute town. Love it! Sounds like y’all had such a wonderful time
I’m not sure I would’ve been able to pass up fried oreos or funnel cakes, but props to you for doing so xo
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I know! Whyyy didn’t I get one?! haha
That oatmeal looks freaking DELICIOUS. I’m so jealous of it right now!!
Miranda @ Biting Life recently posted..Bloody Nose? Must be Labor Day Weekend!
It was! I really wanted it again this morning but I’m totally out of bananas and milk.
Okay, Toly would die if he knew such things existed, especially that burger/doughnut combo.
lol you guys should check it out next year!
Ahhh what a festival, my mom would go absolutely bonkers for something like this, she hearts burgers
The doughnut and hamburger this is just so over the top haha
Tessa at Amazing Asset recently posted..This Time, I Think I Found an Answer
I used to NEVER eat burgers, but now I really like them as long as they’re cooked properly!
I’m betting I would love hamburger festival
The WI state fair has been fried everything. I remember asking the attendant if I could just buy one deep fried oreo and he wouldn’t let me (I’d have to buy all 6). So I have yet to try one.
Alysha @Shesontherun recently posted..My First (and last) Experience with Foodie Pen Pals
Haha! We pass through Hamburg every time we go to my in-laws. I had no idea there was such a festival
Kyle would love the burger/donut combo!
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