Corinth to host 37th annual Slugburger Festival this weekend

CORINTH — For the 37th time in as many years, this weekend will see the city of Corinth filled with carnival rides, live music, pageantry, a car show and — of course — slugs. In burger form, at least.

This weekend marks the 37th anniversary of Corinth's annual Slugburger Festival, a celebration of a local delicacy that has attracted people from across the nation. The event will kick off Thursday, July 11, and continue through Saturday, July 14, in Corinth’s Trailhead Yard.

Although it's attracted national attention over the years — particularly the years in which the city hosted the Major League Eating-sponsored World Slugburger Eating Championship — the event is wholly a community affair. The whole Corinth community turns out to make the Slugburger Festival happen, said Main Street Corinth director Angela Avent. Magnolia Car Club will put on a car show, Crossroads Museum puts on a green market, Main Street puts on a carnival and brings in live music, and Corinth’s Rotary Club cooks the slugburgers.

That's appropriate. As Avent tells the story, it was local Corinth jeweler Jimmy Hathcock who got some fellow downtown business owners together to organize a festival around the slugburger. Made from a beef patty cut with potato flakes and flour — or other ingredients, depending on the chef — the slugburger is believed to have originated in Corinth.

According to the Enjoy Corinth website, the name is thought to come from the original price of a slugburger: a nickel, otherwise known as a "slug."

Hathcock’s festival became a beloved tradition, and visitors can expect this year’s event to offer fun for all ages.

Friday night will feature live music from the Spunk Monkeys and Still House Band, and New Albany’s Justin Kirk and the Funk Monsters will play Saturday.

There will be a Miss Slugburger pageant and a “Slug Idol” singing competition, which will double as a qualifier for the Mid-South Fair talent competitions.

ACE Fiber is the event’s primary sponsor, and the City of Corinth is a major partner in putting the festival on. It’s an event not only for locals but also for folks from around the state and country.

“I just enjoy seeing the people … and knowing that we provided a great time for everyone,” Avent said. “If you haven't heard of slugburger, you're missing out.”