DIXON – A mouthful of freshly grilled lamb had Chris Kilkenny's jaws working hard Saturday afternoon at the Lambtown USA Festival's first-ever eating competition.
He chewed and swallowed the greasy pieces of lamb so quickly he had to take care not to bite his fingers as he stuffed in more food.
Kilkenny and the seven other contestants were given nine minutes to eat as much meat as possible from a pile of lamb ribs, weighed before and after the competition to determine the winner.
The wacky contest was the newest event in a festival that for 22 years has celebrated Dixon's lamb industry and agricultural heritage. Over the years, the annual festival, held at the Dixon May Fair grounds, has been filled with a lamb-cooking contest, weaving and fine arts activities, petting zoos and pony rides.
"We just try to think of ways to educate people about the uses of lamb," said Jill Orr, a volunteer and co-chairwoman of the eating contest.
With medical personnel standing by, a crowd gathered around the eating contestants showing off their starting plates – each filled with seven pounds of grilled lamb ribs. As the contest began, spectators snapped photos, maneuvering to get better shots.
Two minutes into the competition, Kilkenny was well ahead. Some of the other contestants tried to catch up as others slowed to catch their breath while the sun glared down.
But Kilkenny kept his lead, throwing down used rib bones with one hand and picking up a new rib with the other. In the end, he consumed two pounds and six ounces of ribs, beating his closest competitor by a full six ounces.
Kilkenny, 22, who said he entered the competition "just to have fun," won the grand prize of $300.
"It was very entertaining," said the Rev. Harrel Wiley, one of the contest's spectators and a regular at the Lambtown festival.
Orr and other volunteer workers who helped facilitate the competition said they gained know-how for next year's contest.
Their day at the Lambtown festival began at 7 a.m. Saturday, long before the first rib was eaten. For the contest, they prepared 115 pounds of lamb, given to them by Superior Farms, a lamb supplier based in Dixon.
"We had no idea how much people would eat," Orr said adding that they didn't want to run out of lamb during the contest.
Kilkenny, a Dixon native, plans to return next year to defend his title and said he may look for other eating contests.
Call The Bee's Wesley DeBerry, (916) 321-1098.
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