Bacon Fest this weekend

Entertainment
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Bacon Fest bigger and more baconey

Organizers say Bacon Fest will be even more baconey this year.

There will be more bacon and more roaming room at the event to be held Sunday, Aug. 17, at Lincoln Park and the Fraze Pavilion, 695 Lincoln Park Blvd., Kettering.

“It is local, independent restaurants that are participating, which is pretty cool,” said Amy Zahora, executive director of the Miami Valley Restaurant Association. “Everybody loves bacon. It always has been a hot thing.”

Admission is free to the festival that starts at 2 p.m. and will wrap up at about 10 p.m.

Sixteen restaurants will participate in the event compared to 12 last year.

Six restaurants are new to this year’s event — Marion’s Pizza, Hickory River Smokehouse, Kowalski’s Hots, Zetland Street, Figlio and Giovanni’s Pizzeria e Ristorante Italiano.

The festival is the result of a partnership between the Fraze, a City of Kettering-owned entertainment venue, and the Restaurant Raiders, a monthly foodie group associated with the Miami Valley Restaurant Association that supports local restaurants.

Lured by the power of the bacon, about 14,000 people attended last year’s inaugural Bacon Fest.

Organizers said most people showed up within the first 90 minutes. Attendees complained about long lines, and food shortages at some vendor stations. Some said they could not spend food tickets as the result.

Food tickets have been eliminated as a result of feedback from attendees.

“It will be pay as you go,” Zahora said.

Dishes will be sold for $3 to $6 each.

Everybody will have something (to sell) for $3,” she said. “It is a cool festival. People get to try bacon in a lot of different ways.”

To address congestion concerns, the event will use a large area of Lincoln Park and music acts will perform on the Fraze stage.

“We are using the whole (Lincoln Park and Fraze) footprint and some of the street,” she said. “Everybody will have plenty of food.”

Can’t make Bacon Fest at the Fraze?

Zahora is planning Bacon Fest Cincinnati on National Bacon Day. The first-time event is set for noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30 at Coney Island Amusement Park, 6201 Kellogg Ave, Cincinnati. Nine vendors have signed on to participate.

Contact this blogger at arobinson@DaytonDailyNews.com or Twitter.com/DDNSmartMouth

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HOW TO GO

What: Bacon Fest 2014

When: Sunday, Aug. 17. Gates open at 2 p.m.

Admission: Free

Participating restaurants and menu items (visit Daytonbaconfest.com):

  • Amber Rose — Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Bacon Wrapped Pineapple Skewer; bacon cheddar pierogies and bacon cheddar french fries
  • Archer’s Tavern — plain bacon-wrapped hot dog; chili dog- (bacon-wrapped and topped with chili, mixed cheese and red onions) pb&j dog- (bacon-wrapped with peanut butter and wildfire jelly)
  • Brixx Ice Company — Fat Elvis Sandwich (peanut butter, bacon and banana), bacon mac and cheese; 3 whole wings or Brixx Dragon Toes medium, hot bacon mustard); spicy garlic (best sauce winner at wing fest) quarter-pound bacon cheeseburger; Brixx Chicken Bacon Ranch
  • Coco’s Bistro — maple bacon cheesecake; pork belly sushi
  • The Dock Food & Spirits — bacon cheesecake; bacon cole slaw; 2 bacon wrapped crab balls with lobster sauce
  • Domique’s Bistro — American Potato Salad with jalapeno bacon; apple and bacon turnover; upside down quiche with triple smoked bacon
  • Figlio’s — chicken bacon club pizza
  • Giovanni’s Pizzeria & Ristorante Italiano — pasta in an alfredo sauce with bacon, peas and red onions; italian sandwich with bacon grilled chicken and cheese; spinach salad with bacon, red onion, strawberries and raspberry vinaigrette
  • Hickory River Smokehouse — mini pulled pork sandwich; pulled pork sandwich with bacon and queso cheese; loaded pulled pork nachos with bacon
  • Kowalski’s Hots — red or white hot dog with bacon meat sauce; cheeseburger with bacon meat sauce; polish kielbasa with bacon meat sauce; macaroni salad and soft pretzels with nacho and bacon
  • Lock 27 Brewing — rum butter bacon ice cream; bacon pierogies with bacon gastrique glaze
  • Marion’s Pizza — cheese, bacon and pepperoni, bacon, and sausage pizza sold by the slice
  • Meadowlark Restaurant — homemade bacon caramel corn
  • Ritter’s Frozen Custard — Gelatis served with Vanilla Frozen Custard Small or Vanilla or Chocolate Frozen Custard Ice Cream Sundaes
  • Sweet-Umms Chocolatier — chocolate covered bacon waffle
  • Zetland Street — farmer’s delight salad with warm bacon vinaigrette dressing; tomato and horseradish soup topped with candied bacon

MUSIC SCHEDULE

All bands perform on Fraze Pavilion stage:

2 p.m. — Linden Davis Group

4 p.m. — Skeptical Cats

6 p.m. — Classic Rock Experience

8:30 p.m. — The Devonshires