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22nd Annual Slugburger Festival
July 9-11, 2009
Downtown Corinth

Young men lead Slug Idol
Published Saturday, July 11
By Mark Boehler
Special to the Daily Corinthian
The male gender took center stage Friday night as young men earned the top three spots in the Slug Idol Contest during the first night of the 22nd Annual Slugburger Festival.
Twenty-two year-old Tupelo native Ben Mathis used his acoustic guitar and vocal talent to beat seven other contestants for first place and $200 in the second annual contest.
"It was a lot of fun," noted Mathis after the competition. A Corinth resident, the winner credited his year of playing in the Nashville, Tenn. club scene as the edge on experience.
Mathis plays throughout Northeast Mississippi in many venues and wants to make a career in music with his vocals, guitar and piano. He sang "Superstition" and "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone" for the Slug Idol Contest before what many Main Street Corinth board members noted as a great Thursday night crowd.
Bradley Jones of Michie, Tenn., a 15-year-old sophomore at Adamsville Jr./Sr. High School, finished second. Sixteen-year-old Alcorn Central High School junior Chris Ekiss, lead singer in the band "Breaking Curfew," finished third. Both Jones and Ekiss said after the contest they were aspiring singers in hopes of a career in music. The three winners also performed Friday night at the Slugburger Festival.
Main Street officials also credited the good attendance Thursday night to a performance by Elvis impersonator Tommy Browder, a McNairy County native.
Browder sang Elvis tunes for an hour, never taking a break in the heat. Also performing while judges tallied scoring sheets was 2008 Slug Idol Contest winner Amy Hollon, a 21-year-old Corinth resident.
The festival continues Saturday night with Rocket 88 taking stage at 8 p.m., followed by headliner Crossin' Dixon. Admission is $7. The entertainment area can be found at the corner of Cruise and Fillmore streets in downtown Corinth. There are three food vendors there, including slugburgers from the Burnsville Café.
The carnival continues around courtsquare on Saturday with $15 armbands for unlimited rides.

Smith takes slugburger
eating crown
Published Saturday, July 11
From staff reports
Friday's slugburger eating competition drew some avid eaters, with Jeremy Smith of Corinth taking top honors by consuming six burgers in an impressive 3 minutes 40 seconds.
The 33-year-old is a teacher at Iuka Middle School. Each competitior had to scarf down six of the burgers, and Smith was required to keep them down for five minutes afterward to be declared winner.
For his achievement, Smith's prizes included $100, a trip to Orlando and an invitation to an eating competition in Jackson.
The second place winner was Chris Puckett of Tishomingo, and Mitch Fowler of Tupelo took third place.
The slugs were provided by Borroum's Drug Store.

Slugburger Festival returns
to the Crossroads
Published Sunday, July 5
By Brant Sappington
Staff Writer
The humble slugburger will rise to celebrity status next weekend as Main Street Corinth hosts the 22nd annual Slugburger Festival in downtown Corinth.
The fun kicks off Wednesday evening with the opening of the traditional fair and carnival around the courthouse square. The rides and games will be open throughout the festival which runs Thursday through Saturday.
Activity at the festival’s entertainment venue in the clock parking lot at the intersection of Cruise and Fillmore streets gets started on Thursday night with the second annual Slug Idol competition, hosted by award-winning Elvis tribute artist and former McNairy Central High School football coach Tommy Browder.
The contest begins at 7 p.m. as competitors take the stage to compete for cash prizes and the chance for the winner to perform Friday as the opening act for the festival’s second night of entertainment. Browder will close out the evening with a performance as the King of Rock and Roll beginning at 9 p.m.
Friday night is Motown night at Slugburger as the Soul Searchers bring their collection of classic hits to the stage from 8:30 p.m. until 11:30 p.m., following the performance at 7 p.m. by the winner of Slug Idol.
Saturday’s entertainment lineup will feature a mix of rock and country with Rocket 88 and headliners, Mississippi-based rock/country act Crossin’ Dixon.
Festival admission is $5 on Thursday, $6 on Friday and $7 on Saturday. Gates open at 6 p.m. each night and all proceeds go to support the work of Main Street Corinth.
In addition to the music, the entertainment venue will also offer a variety of vendors featuring food and beverages including the festival’s signature deep-fried delicacy.
Main Street Corinth Director Kelly Rinehart, who is participating in her first Slugburger Festival as director, said everything is on track
for an exciting weekend and they look forward to three busy days of fun and entertainment.
The Slugburger Festival celebrates Corinth’s most well-known culinary contribution, a deep-fried meat and soy-protein burger topped with mustard, onion and pickles.

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