Alameda County Fair Takes Fair Food to Next Level with First Annual SNACKDOWN Competition

PLEASANTON, Calif., June 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- It's a fact. From classic corndogs to deep-fried Twinkies, "crazy-good" food is one of the top reasons people love going to the Fair.

This year, Alameda County Fair is taking "fair fare" to new heights with the first annual SNACKDOWN, a live, competitive event featuring food vendors and their newest creations. Twelve finalists will compete for the titles of "Best Taste," "Most Creative" and "Best Theme" ("Taste the Red, White & Blue"). From those winners, an overall "Grand Champion" will be named.

KPIX's "Foodie Chap," Liam Mayclem, will host the event at the Fairgrounds' Festival Square Stage on Tuesday, June 24 at 12pm. A panel of esteemed Bay Area "foodie" judges will sample and score each entry to determine the winners. Interested fans should also watch the Fair's Facebook page for a chance to win a spot on the judging panel.

"Each year, concessionaires customarily introduce creative new items to their menus and the SNACKDOWN is way to add some fun to the process, for both the sellers and the food fans," said Judy Carrico, Fair Operations Manager at Alameda County Fair. "This will be a fun event. All of the finalists are great and we look forward to seeing who takes the prizes."

The Fair's food vendors were invited to participate earlier this year. A first-round judging panel chose the top 12 from the submissions received. Contestants were allowed to enter as many items as they wished. Entries were evaluated individually and some contestants have more than one item in the final competition. "SNACKDOWN Finalist" signs will be posted to food stands to help fans identify the contestant dishes they wish to try.

2014 SNACKDOWN Top 12 Finalists:

• Spaghetti Ice Cream
• World's Hottest Ice Cream
  Anthony Verdome
  Cardinali Ice Cream

• Crisp Bacon Bowl Slider
  Molly Johnson
  Gastro Pub

• Pickle Dog
• Drunken Pickle Poppers
  Get Pickled
  Nathan Janousak

• Deep Fried Grilled Cheese
• Deep Fried Peanut Butter Cup
  The Monster Dog
  Tom Stroud

• California Burrito  
  Erica Quintero
  Pepe's Mariscos

• Red, White & Blue Crepe
  Planet Popcorn/Planet Crepes
  Sharla Gandy-McBride

• Red, White & Blue Pizza
  Pizza by the Slice
  Jill Moyer

• Lobster Fries
  Sharky's Fish Fry
  Don Delahoyde

• Macaroni & Cheese Stuffed Bacon Burger
  Stuffy's Char Broiler
  Don Delahoyde

CONCESSIONAIRES EXTRAORDINAIRE       
Look for these and dozens of other great food vendors at the 2014 Alameda County Fair:

Juicy's Grill         
Burgers, Grilled Cheese, Chicken Sandwich, Sausage-on-a-Stick

Funnel Cakes West                
Fresh, homemade funnel cake with cream and fruit          
New: Breakfast Funnel Cake with powdered sugar, maple cream and bacon bits!

Sharky's Fish Fry             
Fish & Chips, Lobster-on-a-Stick, Fried Veggies                
New: Lobster fries!

Willamette Valley Pie Co.            
Fresh Pies, Cobblers & Turnovers

Pepe's Mariscos part of Kaiser Healthy Picks Menu Options            
Mexican Food, Fresh Seafood, Fish Tacos, Fresh Fruit                            
New: California Burrito!

Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls – New Vendor!           
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls & Cinnamon Bread

Big Bubba's Bad BBQ             
BBQ Pork, Chicken & Beef, Tri Tip, Beans, Cole Slaw, Corn on the Cob

Get Pickled  - New Vendor!             
Pickle Dog, Drunken Pickle Poppers, Fried Pickle-on-a-Stick, Chips

Planet Popcorn / Planet Crepes                   
Fresh Popped Flavored Popcorn, Homemade Crepes                     
New: Red, White & Blue Crepe!

Cardinali's Ice Cream               
Ice Cream, Sundaes & more                   
New Spaghetti Ice Cream and World's Hottest Ice Cream!

Mrs. J's Chocolate Pot                     
Chocolate-dipped Bananas, Ice Cream Bars & Cheesecake

The Monster Dog                            
18" Corn Dog (12" & 16" dogs, too), Hot Dogs & Burgers                      
New – Deep Fried Grilled Cheese Sandwich!

Gastro Pub                          
17 different Sierra Nevada beers on tap & Farm-to-Table Menu          
New: Crisp Bacon Bowl Slider!

Stuffy's Char Broiler                 
Burgers, Hot Dogs, Salads                    
New: Macaroni & Cheese Stuffed Bacon Burger!

2014 Big O Tires Concert Series, 8pm nightly:

6/18 – Brett Eldredge (country)

6/19 – Eddie Money (classic rock)

6/20 – Shaggy (reggae fusion)

6/21 – Creedence Clearwater Revisited (classic rock)

6/22 – La Unica Sonora Santanera y Selena Tribute featuring Irene Davi    (Latin/Tropical) (Tejano)

6/24 – Evolution (Journey tribute /classic rock)

6/25 – Con Funk Shun (R&B /funk)

6/26 – Coco Jones (Disney)

6/27 – Paul Rodriguez (comedy)

6/28 – JT Hodges (country)

6/29 – Tesla (rock)

7/1 – True 2 Crue (Motley Crue tribute / classic rock)

7/2 – Ashanti (contemporary R&B)

7/3 – America (folk rock)

7/4 – Blues Festival (multiple performers / blues) (1pm – 9pm)

7/5 – Building 429 (contemporary Christian)

7/6 - Night Ranger (classic rock)

2014 Alameda County Fair Information

Dates: June 18 – July 6 (Open Tuesday – Sunday)

Hours: 11am-11pm daily

Horse Racing: Thursday through Sunday, June 19-22, June 26-29, and July 3-6

Big O Tires Concert Series: 8pm nightly, followed by fireworks & tribute video at 9:45pm in the Safeway Amphitheater

July 4^th: Blues Festival, 1-9pm, Fireworks Spectacular, 9:45pm

Gate Admission*:

Adults (13-61) $10

Seniors (62+) $8

Kids (6-12) $8

Children under 6 – FREE

*Purchase in advance (before June 17) and save up to 33%

Special Pricing:

Season Pass (admission for all 17 days) - $30

Fun Pack (4 general admission tickets and 1 parking pass) - $30

Special Days (special pricing ends at 5pm):

Opening Day: June 18, $1 Admission & $1 Rides

$2 Tuesdays: June 24 & July 1, $2 admission

Seniors FREE Thursdays (62+) – June 19, June 27, & July 3

Kids FREE Fridays (12 and under) – June 20, June 27, & July 4

Feed the Need Food Drive & $1 Rides, benefitting Alameda County Food Bank. (Bring 4 non-perishable food items and receive FREE admission) – June 25

Military Appreciation, FREE Fair admission with valid Military ID - Daily

The Alameda County Fair is operated by the Fair Association, a non-profit organization, without any tax funding from the government. It is ranked one of the Top 50 North American Fairs and the 7^th largest Fair in California. The Fairgrounds is home to the Oldest One-Mile Race Track in America.

SOURCE Alameda County Fair