A hot dog eating contest, dance performances, a display of a few Porsches and live music were the highlights of Warsaw’s First Friday, tonight, Friday, Sept. 6, in downtown Warsaw. A light rain and temperatures in the low 60s didn’t keep some people away for the event.

Shown are the top three winners in the men’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. From left are Joseph “Cole” Shepherd, first; Earl Frantz with daughter Harmony Wood, second; and Adam Harrington, third.

Joseph “Cole” Shepherd, Earl Frantz and Adam Harrington were the top men in the Lake City Lions men’s Hot Dog Eating Contest while Brandy Henwood, Treva Chupp and Kathy Hostetler took the top honors in the women’s competition.

The men’s competition saw Shepherd eating 11 hot dogs, and buns, in the overall competition. Frantz and Harrington tied for second with eight each and competed again eating four more apiece for another tie. Frantz won second place after guessing the closest number chosen by master of ceremony Joe Reeve, leaving Harrington to take third.

The women’s competition resulted in Henwood eating 4 1/2 hot dogs and buns, with Chupp edging out over Hostetler by eating 3 1/2 to Hostetler’s two.

Shown are winners in the women’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. From left, are Treva Chupp, second; Kathy Hostetler, third; Sheri Reeve, president Lake City Lions; and Brandy Henwood, first.

The rules were simple – to eat as many hot dogs as possible in 5 minutes. Each contestant started with six hot dogs and could request more as the competition went along. The contestant had to eat both the hot dog and bun for it to be counted.

Those competing against Shepherd, Frantz and Harrington included Mike Richardson, Paul Kurczbuch, Zach Waltz, Moses McNees and Corey Rodocker. Competing against Henwood, Chupp and Hostetler was Rachel Wood.

The winners were presented cash prizes of $100, $50 and $25 by Lake City Lions President Sheri Reeve.

Following the hot dog eating event, members of Deb Collier’s School of dance performed a variety of dance movements in various age groups.

The evening concluded with a concert by Joshua Scott Jones, formerly of the country music duo “Steel Magnolia.” Jones joked about his good fortune in returning to Warsaw and performing during the 5% chance of rain predicted for the evening. While he performed under the cover of a tent, many stood out in the rain with and without umbrellas.

The night also included a display of nine Porsches including one that was a limited edition, several food stands, several businesses, and numerous nonprofit organizations, such as CASA, Combined Community Services, Brianna’s Hope, All New Things, and several churches.