Doggone delicious

By ohtadmin | on August 03, 2023

Top three contestants (right to left): Austin Brooks, James Bowers and Steve Kinney. Photos by Ben Gagnon

FLUSHING — Eight men put their appetites to the test in the Flushing Area Chamber of Commerce’s 5th Annual Coney Dog Eating Contest on July 25. This year’s “top dog” was Austin Brooks, who polished off 5 ½ coneys in three minutes. James Bowers came in second place with 3.85 coneys and Steve Kinney finished third with 3 ¾ coneys. The top three finishers received gift cards to Bueche’s Food World, the contest host site.

Brooks, 16, has become a top contender at the Chamber’s recent eating competitions. He placed second last year in the Coney Dog Contest and finished second in the Chamber’s Paczki Eating Contest in February. He is also the 2022 Flushing Chamber Paczki Contest champion.

Other contestants in the Coney Dog contest included Corey Farmer, Matthew Schmier, Bill Burgess, Mayor Pro Tem Edward Sullivan and Rick Goforth. All proceeds support the purchase of Christmas decorations for the city. — B.G.