Des Moines, IA – The annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival kicked off earlier this weekend in Iowa, serving up a total of 10,000 pounds of tasty, tasty bacon.
MSN reports that happy Iowans decked out in Viking hats and pig noses descended upon the bacon festival to consume bacon in every conceivable form , be it chocolate-dipped bacon, or bacon-flavored cupcakes and gelato.
Amazingly, yet unsurprisingly, the bacon festival’s 8,000 tickets sold out in under three minutes, proving that bacon remains the food of the gods.
“I love bacon more than I love my job,” said one festival attendee named Katie Nordquist, who was dressed in a tuxedo t-shirt.
Time reports that among the bacon festivals offerings were bacon gumbo, chocolate bacon bourbon tarts, and an Iceland-themed building that served Icelandic bacon dishes in honor of a group of delegates visiting from the country.
“I think it’s the right time of year when everybody’s been cooped up,” said 39-year-old Mike Vogel, who was dressed as bacon for his fourth year in attendance. “It’s a good time to get out, have some fun, try some new stuff, have a few beers and enjoy yourselves with everybody else.”
Event scheduled included a bacon eating competition and even lectures about bacon. Earlier in the week, a bacon queen pageant was held, during which a ceremonial pig was pardoned by Governor Terry Branstad .
The bacon festival’s co-founder, Brooks Reynolds, said that the event has become the largest bacon showcase in the world, calling it a “bacon fellowship.”
“They can just bond with their fellow man and just celebrate the meat that everybody enjoys,” he said.
Seems silly to ask, but do you enjoy bacon? Here’s a brief video of the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival from a few years back:
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