Best of the burgers: Friona treats thousands to annual Cheeseburger Festival
FRIONA - The city of Friona hosted its 17th annual Cheeseburger Festival Saturday, drawing thousands to judge "the best cheeseburger" and participate in other events at Reeve Lake.
Friona, known as the Cheeseburger Capital of Texas due to its central location to beef, wheat and dairy industries, was officially honored in 2007 by Gov. Rick Perry. The annual festival features a cheeseburger cookoff with teams competing in three categories for a $1,000 grand prize.
Lee Davila, the city manager for Friona, said that this festival is important for economic development and to celebrate the industries that are the lifeblood of Friona.
“We wanted to highlight our three major industries all of which make up the essential ingredients for a cheeseburger, which include the meat, the bun and the cheese,” Davila said.
Davila said there is no common denominator among the winning burgers outside of good taste from year to year, with previous winners having a wide range of ingredients. He said he expected burgers with a bit of spice to be the top contenders this year.
Aryn Corley from Levelland said he hopped in his truck on a whim to attend the festival. He said most of the better burgers he preferred on this day were cooked with the smoking method to flavor their patties.
“I knew about the festival and always wanted to come to it; I am happy that I did,” Corley said. “I have tried four burgers today and it is very difficult to decide which is the best. This has been so great today, with everybody in good spirits, mixing and mingling with each other enjoying good food. These types of events are huge to a local economy.”
Corley said that history has shown that there is no better way to unite people than with food.
“What a great way to spend time with other people in fellowship than over a cheeseburger,” Corley said.
Also featured at the festival were multiple vendors, family activities and a car show. All cooking teams use the same one-third-pound burger and bun but are free to make the burger with any variety of ingredients.
Taking the grand prize for best cheeseburger and people’s choice winner this year was the Atmos Energy team with its Atmos Green Chili Burger. Coming in as runner-up was perennial contender Hilmar Cheese.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Friona treats thousands to annual Cheeseburger Festival
