Luv Fest, a hot dog eating contest following international rules, is coming to downtown Henryetta, Brad Nash, owner of Luv Ford, announced on a weekly podcast.
“We started doing our radio show on the Sports Animal Tulsa to help us sell more cars and trucks,” Nash said. “We are passionate about what we do, but 30 minutes is a long time to talk some days, and we found ourselves showboating our community, which we are proud of being from. We also know that in the next few months, our country that is hurting must make a decision, so we have incorporated that into our show.”
“Obviously, our advertising budget would be better spent concentrating on servicing and selling trucks, but we happen to care about this community, the state of Oklahoma and the USA,” Bryan McRae, commonly referred to as “White Shirt Guy,” added.
Luv Fest’s competition will be known as the Schwab Dog Hot Dog Contest in conjunction with Oklahoma family- owned company Schwab Meat Co.
The event will also feature national recording artist Ricochet, who will perform all their hits, including “How Do I Know,” “Love Is Stronger Than Pride” and No. 1 hit “Daddy’s Money.” The group will take the stage at 3 p.m.
Ricochet, known as “The Hardest Working Band in Country Music,” has been a mainstay in the country music scene since 1996, when their debut single, “What Do I Know,” climbed to the Top 5, earning them the highest-charting debut single of the year. Their followup single, “Daddy’s Money,” became a massive hit, reaching #1 on multiple country charts, including Billboard, where it remained for two consecutive weeks. The band’s distinctive musical style and intricate harmonies have earned them widespread recognition as one of the most popular vocal groups in country music. Over 15 years later, Ricochet continues to thrill audiences across the United States and abroad with their signature harmonies and energetic performances. Band members include Heath Wright (lead vocals, lead guitar, fiddle), Chris Hempfling (drums, vocals), Larry Hight (steel guitar, electric and acoustic guitar, saxophone, vocals), Bruce Bennett (bass, vocals) and Rick Toops (keyboards, vocals).
According to Nash and his wife Missy, the opportunity to move to Henryetta was a dream and, like most opportunities, has been a lot of hard work.
“We have met some great people here and we identify with them and are truly blessed to have gotten to know them,” Missy Nash said. “This is why we want to do this event.”
“A lot of companies say they want to give back to their communities, but we really look at it a little selfishly – we want to break bread and have some fun with our new family. We hope that everyone has a great time. We would love to grow this into something that will infuse real dollars into our community so that together we can better this area we call home.”
The competition will start at 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 2, in conjunction with Henryetta’s Labor Day festivities. Planned events will include Oklahoma’s longest- running Labor Day Parade, music and fireworks at 6 p.m. at the baseball fields.
All events are free, and free Schwab Dogs will be available for everyone. Bring your lawn chairs and coolers.
LUVTALKIN’FORDS airs on 97.1 FM The Sports Animal Saturday mornings at 8 a.m. and the podcast is available on YouTube and Spotify.
