Alameda County Fair Announces 2nd Annual SNACKDOWN
Top Carnival Cuisine Contenders Compete for Coveted Championship Belt
PLEASANTON, Calif., June 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- For anyone who loves Fair food, it's like a deep-fried, chocolate-dipped, dream come true: the SNACKDOWN is back!
Armed with deep fryers and big imaginations, Alameda County Fair's top concessionaires will go toe-to-toe, each in hopes that their newest taste sensation will be crowned top dog. Eight vendors with 14 total entries will compete in the 2015 SNACKDOWN at the Fair's Grandstand stage on Friday, June 19 at 4 p.m.
Liam Mayclem, KCBS's "Foodie Chap," will host the live event, along with a judging panel of Bay Area food writers and personalities. The Fair's Facebook page will also run a contest giving food fans a chance to win a spot at the judging table.
Food vendors were invited to participate in the competition earlier this year and first-round judges selected the finalists from entries received. Contestants are allowed to enter as many different items as they wish, but all entries must be original creations and new to the Fair. Prize categories include "Best Taste", "Most Creative" and "Best Theme" ("Rock the Red, White & Blue."). The overall "Grand Champion" will be awarded the prized Championship Belt.
For the first time, the Fair will provide food vendor maps at the information booths, in addition to the "SNACKDOWN Finalist" signs to be posted at food stands. Last year's winners included Spaghetti Ice Cream by Cardinali's Ice Cream (Best Taste & Grand Champion), Pickle Dog by Get Pickled (Most Creative) and Red, White & Blue Pizza by Pizza by the Slice (Best Theme). For more information, visit www.alamedacountyfair.com.
| 2015 SNACKDOWN Finalists |
| Deep Fried PB&J Cheesecake w/ Bubblegum Frosting |
| Sweet Cheeks |
| Jacqueline Bradbury |
| Bacon Wrapped Pork Belly on a Stick |
| The Light Bulb Grill |
| John Campbell |
| Deep Fried Wood Fired Pastrami Pizza |
| Deep Fried Caramelized Bananas Foster |
| Cardinali Pizza / Grill |
| Worlds Most Sour Ice Cream |
| Cardinali Ice Cream |
| Tony Cardinali |
| Cap'n Crunch Shrimp on a Stick w/ Sweet Sriracha Sauce |
| Sharky's Fish Fry |
| Peanut Butter and Jelly Fries |
| Stuffy's Char Broiler |
| Don Delahoyde |
| Funnel Cake Cheeseburger |
| Brett Enright –Juicy's Grill |
| The Red, White & Blue (Tri-flavor Kettle Corn) |
| The Klassy Kernel |
| James Gossett |
| Frosted Flakes Chicken w/ Maple Syrup |
| "Koolickle" (Kool-Aid Pickle) |
| Get Pickled |
| Red, White & Blue Baked Potato |
| Spud Ranch |
| Pineapple Sriracha Chicken Wings |
| Wings & Chips |
| Nate Janousek |
| Chipotle Shrimp Avocado Bites |
| Pepe's Mariscos |
| Erica Quintero |
| Concessionaires Extraordinaire |
| Look for these and dozens of other great food vendors at the 2015 Alameda County Fair: |
| Big Bubba's Bad BBQ |
| BBQ Pork, Chicken & Beef, Tri Tip, Beans, Cole Slaw, Corn on the Cob |
| Cardinali's Pizza / Grill |
| Wood Fire Pizza, Deli Sandwiches, Roasted Corn, Salads, Deep-fried Watermelon |
| Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls |
| Homemade Cinnamon Rolls & Cinnamon Bread |
| Funnel Cakes West |
| Homemade Funnel Cake with Cream & Fruit, Breakfast Funnel Cake |
| Gastro Pub |
| 17 different Sierra Nevada beers on tap & Farm-to-Table Menu |
| Get Pickled |
| Pickle Dog, Drunken Pickle Poppers, Fried Pickle-on-a-Stick |
| Juicy's Grill |
| Burgers, Grilled Cheese, Chicken Sandwich, Sausage-on-a-Stick |
| Monster Dog |
| 18" Corn Dog (12" & 16" dogs, too), Hot Dogs & Burgers |
| Mrs. J's Chocolate Pot |
| Chocolate-dipped Bananas, Ice Cream Bars & Cheesecake |
| Pepe's Mariscos |
| Mexican Food, Fresh Seafood, Fish Tacos, Fresh Fruit |
| Planet Popcorn / Planet Crepes |
| Fresh Popped Flavored Popcorn, Homemade Crepes |
| Spud Ranch |
| Baked Potatoes with every imaginable topping |
| Sharky's Fish Fry |
| Fish & Chips, Lobster-on-a-Stick, Fried Veggies, Lobster Fries |
| The Sleek Greek |
| Greek Cuisine – Gyros, Salad, Baklava, Spanokopita |
| Stuffy's Char Broiler |
| Burgers, Hot Dogs, Salads, Macaroni & Cheese Stuffed Bacon Burger |
| Sweet Cheeks |
| Deep-fried Sweet Treats: Oreos, Twinkies, Cheesecake, Snickers & More |
| HEALTHY PICKS |
| Alameda County Fair concessionaires offer plenty of healthy options, too! The following vendors are a sampling of those who offer selections that meet the Kaiser Permanente "Healthy Picks" criteria. For more information, visit www.alamedacountyfair.com. |
| Back Yard Village BBQ |
Juicy's Greek |
| Veggie Burrito |
Greek Salad |
|
|
Juicy's Grill |
| Fruit Spreads |
Grilled Chicken |
| Plain Popcorn |
|
| Cardinali Pizza / Grill |
Outlaw Burger |
| Veggie Pizza |
Grilled Chicken |
| Cardinali Ice Cream |
Pepe's Mariscos |
| Frozen Bananas |
Veggie Burrito |
| Grilled Chicken, Fish or Veggie Taco |
|
| Garlicky's |
Fresh Fruit |
| Veggie Pizza |
|
| The Sleek Greek |
Sweet Cheeks |
| Vegetarian Gyros |
Bread Sticks |
Healthy Picks Drinks – Available at multiple locations:
- Coffee (unsweetened)
- Tea (unsweetened)
- Dasani Water / Smartwater
- Fuze Slenderize / Vitaminwater Zero
- Unsweetened Lemonade
| 2015 Alameda County Fair Information |
| Dates: June 17 – July 5 (Open Tuesday – Sunday) |
| Hours: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. daily |
| Carnival Hours: Tues -Thurs, 12 p.m. to closing, Fri-Sun, 11 a.m. to closing |
| Horse Racing: Thursday through Sunday, June 18 --21, June 25 --28, and July 2—5 |
Big O Tires FREE Concerts: 8 p.m. – 9:15 p.m., nightly. Special effects show with video tribute to local heroes, immediately following concerts.
July 4th: Blues Festival, 1-9 p.m., Fireworks Spectacular featuring a live performance by Members of the Oakland East Bay Symphony, 9:30 p.m., Budweiser Grandstand
Gate Admission*:
- Adults (13-61) -- $12
- Seniors (62+) -- $8
- Kids (6-12) -- $8
- Children under 6 – FREE
*Purchase in advance (before June 16) and save up to 33%
Special Pre-Fair Pricing (until 6/16/15):
- Season Pass (admission for all 17 days) - $49.95
- Fun Pack (4 general admission tickets and 1 parking pass) - $40
Special Days (ALL SPECIAL PRICING ENDS AT 5 P.M.):
Military Appreciation, FREE Fair admission with valid Military ID – ALL DAY, EVERYDAY
- Opening Day: June 17 -- $1 Admission & $1 Rides, UNTIL 5 P.M.
- $2 Tuesdays: June 23 & 30 -- $2 admission, UNTIL 5 P.M.
- Seniors FREE Thursdays (62+) – June 18, June 25, & July 2, UNTIL 5 P.M.
- Kids FREE Fridays (12 and under) – June 19, June 26, & July 3, UNTIL 5 P.M
- Feed the Need Food Drive & $1 Rides, benefitting Alameda County Food Bank. (Bring 4 non-perishable food items and receive FREE admission & $1 Rides) – June 24, UNTIL 5 P.M.
- Treats for Troops: July 1 (Bring 4 items from donation list and receive FREE admission & $1 Rides) – UNTIL 5 P.M.
- Father's Day: Sunday, June 21 -- Dads with kids get in FREE for the first hour – 11 a.m. UNTIL 12 noon.
| Big O Tires Presents - Concert Series Preview: |
| 6/17 – War |
| 6/18 – Brian McKnight |
| 6/19 – The Original Wailers |
| 6/20 – Kutless |
| 6/21 – Tierra |
| 6/23 – The Boys of Summer (Eagles tribute) |
| 6/24 – The Beach Boys |
| 6/25 – Rodney Atkins |
| 6/26 – Tower of Power |
| 6/27 – Con Funk Shun |
| 6/28 – Tanya Tucker |
| 6/30 – Steelin' Dan (Steely Dan tribute) |
| 7/1 – Foghat |
| 7/2 – Kansas |
| 7/3 – Morris Day & The Time |
| 7/4 – Red, White & Blues Festival (1 p.m. – 9 p.m.) |
| 7/5 – Berlin featuring Terri Nunn |
The Alameda County Fair is operated by the non-profit Fair Association without any tax funding from the government. It is ranked one of the Top 50 North American Fairs and the 7th largest Fair in California. The Fairgrounds is home to the Oldest One-Mile Race Track in America.
SOURCE Alameda County Fair
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