Coveted prize added to bacon festival: Bacon

Up until now, the love of bacon, pride and a handmade trophy were the reasons why restaurants participated in the Dewey Beach Bacon Fest.

This year, with a slab of bacon from Hickman’s Meat Market – large enough for next year’s contest – going to each of the contest’s three winners is sure to heat things up.

“I kept on hearing from restaurants they were using Hickman’s for the contest, so I just went and asked,” said Justin Redefer, founder of the weekend-long, bacon-themed festival entering its fourth year. “ It’s just another piece that makes the event coastal Delaware.”

There are three categories of winners – Best Bacon at the Beach, first in Dewey and first in Rehoboth.

Redefer, owner of Dewey’s iDewey, said the idea to add a prize from the Rehoboth-based, multigenerational, meat-cutting family came after he was contacted by several national meat purveyors about becoming a festival sponsor. He said the companies weren’t interested when he told them the number of participants, which he estimated around 550 for this year.

“Those guys are used to bacon-themed events with thousands of people,” he said. “I’d prefer to keep it local anyway. How much better is it going to be to have Hickman’s involved?”

According to iDewey’s website, over 20 businesses in Dewey and Rehoboth beach are participating in the festival, which begins Saturday, April 22, in Dewey, and then continues Sunday, April 23, in Rehoboth.

Also new this year are $10 guest passes, which, said Redefer, will allow folks to participate in the weekend-long event even if they weren’t able to get a festival pass before they sold out. Holders of the guest passes will still be able to take advantage of special menu items being offered by restaurants in honor of the event, said Redefer.

There are two levels of festival bracelets – VIP and general admission. The VIP package includes the official Dewey Beach Bacon Fest Jersey and T-shirt, 2-day passes, a VIP tour guide, scorecard, special offers, discounts on lodging and rights to be a part of the first wave of participants to sample the bacon. General admission doesn’t include the jersey or T-shirt, and begins later in the afternoon. There are also one-day passes available for $25.

Redefer said there will be a welcome event from 6 to 9 p.m., Friday, April 21, at the Rusty Rudder, 113 Dickinson Ave., when contest participants may pick up passes, maps and T-shirts. Otherwise, he said, passes can be picked up Saturday morning.

“This party allows for a smoother overall weekend,” Redefer said.

For more information on the event, go to iDewey.com or call 302-227-6779.