A Coney Island 4th of July

Every year on America’s birthday, Nathan’s hosts its annual Hotdog Eating Contest. Later, after the sun has set and it’s dark, dazzling fireworks light up the impressive Coney Island skyline, reminding of the great battles that occurred here during the Revolutionary War. This is what makes a Coney Island 4th of July.

America’s birthday is unsurprisingly the most patriotic day of the year.

Uncle Sam smiles as Americans across this land ignite their charcoal or propane grills to cook some hamburgers and frankfurters. Independence Day wieners are taken to a whole other level for Coney Island 4th of July however. Thousands of spectators flock to Coney Island every July 4th to witness something truly bizarre, and that is the Nathan’s Hotdog Eating Contest. With feverish, wild abandon, participants inhale Nathan’s hotdogs to see who can devour the most in ten minutes. It is unlike anything you have seen.

Independence Day of 2023 had an exceptionally stormy start. The morning saw a deluge of biblical proportions and it was thundering all day. NYPD felt the weather conditions were unsafe for spectators, and it seemed the men’s competition might need to be held the following day. Fortunately the weather only stalled it by a couple of hours.

It’s not a Coney Island 4th of July without the Nathan’s Hotdog Eating Contest.

For just over 50 years this tradition of colossal, processed meat proportions has been held. Each year contestants and spectators gather at Nathan’s original location on Surf and Stillwell Avenues for Nathan’s Hotdog Eating Contest. It is exactly what it sounds like: contestants see who can cram the most frankfurters down their esophagus in ten minutes. Whomever does will win the grand prize.

The original Nathan's on Surf Avenue in Coney Island, New York with its bold yellow, white, and green themed signs. — The original Nathan’s still exists on the same site that it did in 1916 on Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island.

Many scoff at the idea of the Nathan’s Hotdog Eating Contest, or any competitive eating, being considered a sport.

Based on the definition of a sport it is rightfully so however. The definition of a sport is “physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against others.” Extreme peristalsis is an act of physical prowess in its own right. Then there is the matter of participants holding the food down. Extreme peristalsis competitors push their gastrointestinal tract to levels inconceivable to the average person.

Much preparation and care goes into a Nathan’s Hotdog Contest.

Nathan’s makes a total of 1000 frankfurters for the big day. They’re slow cooked, and after 40 minutes the temperature is raised so they cook thoroughly. The hotdogs are allowed to cool so participants don’t burn their mouths. Contestants are given plates of five hot dogs at a time. The rules are as follows:

each player has ten minutes to down as many hot dogs as they can.
condiments are not allowed.
water will be provided, but if contestants want their own special drink they must bring it. Contestants will be limited to 13 cups of beverage.
competitors may eat the buns and wieners separately, but all must be consumed.
hotdogs and buns may be dipped into a beverage for no more than five seconds.
no utensils are allowed.
vomiting during the competition is an automatic disqualification.
the contestant who eats the most hot dogs wins.

Hot dogs dipped in Gatorade don’t taste particularly good probably, but it helps them go down the hatch. Obviously the reason players are allotted only five seconds of dipping is so no contestants have an edge over the others.

Professional gluttony is not as easy as it looks.

As previously mentioned, extreme peristalsis is quite the physical task. Training for the Nathan’s Hotdog Contest is not something to take lightly. You can’t eat 100 hotdogs in ten minutes without preparation otherwise you could harm yourself. Participants will prepare weeks before a major competition with a couple of techniques. One technique is to rapidly drink gallons of milk or water at a time to stretch out the stomach. Another involves packing the stomach with gut-busting quantities of oatmeal or watermelon in a matter of minutes.

The stakes are high in the world of extreme peristalsis.

Competitive eaters can make as much as $600,000 in a single event. First place in the Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest wins $10,000, second wins $5,000 and third wins $2,500. Joey Chestnut chowed down 62 hot dogs, winning 1st place. Chestnut has been dubbed “Jaws” for his voracious appetite for winning. This was his 16th time winning the Hot Dog Eating contest, though he didn’t beat his 2021 record of 76 hotdogs. It is estimated he consumed a whopping 18,600 calories in this recent Hotdog Contest.

Geoffrey Esper and James Webb scarfed down 49 and 47 hotdogs respectively. In the women’s competition, Miki Sudo devoured 39 1/2 hotdogs, holding onto her title. Mayoi Ebihara and Michelle Lesco packed down 33 and 24 1/4 hotdogs respectively. Many people are shocked at how relatively petite Sudo and many female competitive eaters are. As stated previously, this comes down to the intense peristalsis training one must undergo.

A photograph of sausages being made in a factory. A Coney Island 4th of July isn't complete without a Nathan's wiener, or a thousand. — A Coney Island 4th of July isn’t complete without a Nathan’s wiener, or a thousand.

After the intense hotdog action there were a few hours of calm and quiet during Coney Island 4th of July.

The sand was drenched and cooled by the torrential rain earlier that day. Thankfully the weather allowed for the most spectacular part of a Coney Island 4th of July, the fireworks! Fireworks are a 4th of July tradition across America. They represent, as the lines of our national anthem go “the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air.” America’s birth was loud and intense.

Brooklyn played more of a role in the American Revolution than it’s given credit for.

The Boston Tea Party or “the shot heard ‘round the world” fired in Concord, Massachusetts, are things that come to mind for many who think of the Revolutionary War. But the Battle of Brooklyn is where the real action started. The Declaration of Independence was signed in July of 1776, but England was not ready to let go of her colonies that easily. On the morning of August 27, 1776, English troops were advancing toward Brooklyn Heights. The fighting raged all over Brooklyn in Gravesend Bay, present-day Greenwood Cemetery, Prospect Park, Fort Greene Park, and Fulton Ferry Landing. Reflect on that next time you go for a stroll, Brooklynites.

General William Alexander, Lord Sterling led a regiment of 400 Maryland soldiers against General Charles Cornwallis’ British forces who were 2,000 strong.

The Marylanders attacked, fell, and regrouped repeatedly until they could no longer. General Sterling’s forces had become too depleted and were forced to surrender. The Battle of Brooklyn wound up being a victory for Britain. The British went on to kill or capture 1,000 American soldiers and occupy Brooklyn and Manhattan for seven more years. While all seemed lost, George Washington’s troops would cross the East River, escaping British clutches. Washington fought more battles in the Revolutionary War and obviously the British lost the war since you are reading this post.

A photograph of people watching fireworks for Coney Island 4th of July. — Coney Island July 4th ends on an explosive note.

Coney Island 4th of July reminds us of what it means to be American.

America is about achieving the impossible. Whether that be defeating a colonial superpower or slamming 80 hotdogs down your gullet in mere minutes. Perhaps America’s tendency toward extremes is a response to Britain’s treatment of us ages ago. America simply does things bigger and better, whether it’s the transcontinental railroad, rock and jazz music, pizza, or skyscrapers.

The most important thing to take away from a Coney Island 4th of July is this: freedom rings only if we keep it alive.

People died so we may live in one of the best countries in the world. Liberty laid the groundwork for our philosophical, artistic, and intellectual evolution as a culture. It has made us an historical force to be reckoned with. However, everyday our rights are being eroded by forces seeking to extinguish our voices. The only way America can continue being the powerhouse it is is if we defend our birthright as a nation; democracy. Democracy is what gives a voice to the voiceless. This is the message of a Coney Island 4th of July. It is about standing tall and strong, despite being small, in the face of tyranny.

The Beastie Boys said it best with their line “you have to fight for your right to party!“

That is what it means to be American. The only way you can have fun is if you put in the work to make America great. Do not fret if you missed Coney Island’s 4th of July fireworks because there will be firework shows there every Friday, weather permitting, until September 1st. Some shows will coincide with Cyclones baseball games.

Here is the Coney Island fireworks schedule:

Friday, July 6 (no Cyclones game)
Friday, July 14: Cyclones vs Greensboro Grasshoppers
Friday, July 21 (no Cyclones game)
Friday, July 28: Cyclones vs Wilmington Blue Rocks
Friday, August 4 (no Cyclones game)
Friday, August 11: Cyclones vs Aberdeen IronBirds
Saturday, August 12: Cyclones vs Aberdeen IronBirds ++ Out of This World Jersey promotion
Friday, August 18: Cyclones vs Hudson Valley Renegades
Friday, August 25 (no Cyclones game)
Friday, September 1 (no Cyclones game)