Today is: National Bagelfest Day

News-Messenger/News Journal
·1 min read
Fresh made bagels at Bay Ave. Bakery & Cafe in Highlands.
Fresh made bagels at Bay Ave. Bakery & Cafe in Highlands.

In 1986, Lender's Bagels opened a bagel factory in Mattoon, Illinois. Multiple sources claim it is the world's largest bagel factory, and the city calls itself the "Bagel Capital of the World." In July of 1986, Murray Lender, then the company spokesman (although no longer its owner as it was sold to Kraft in 1984), held a free bagel breakfast for everyone in Mattoon. In Subsequent years, the day became a multiple day festival called Bagelfest, with music, rides, a parade, a Miss BagelFest Contest, a Bagel Baby Contest, and a bagel breakfast. Murray Lender's first bagel breakfast most likely took place on Saturday, July 26, as National Bagelfest Day is now held on this date, and seems to have sprung from Mattoon's festival.

Source: Checkiday.com

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Today is: National Bagelfest Day