Photograph courtesy Hot Dog Harv
In the last year, local sixth grader Harvey H. (a.k.a. Hot Dog Harv) has gone from singing a franks-related parody of Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO!” at his school talent show and going viral on social media to performing at baseball and hockey games as well as local and regional festivals. But this weekend, he’s heading to New York City.
Harvey and his family will attend the annual Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island, where the 11-year-old will sing his parody “HOTDOGS TO GO!” before the competition starts. The event—which dates its first recorded contest back to 1972—attracts an average of 40,000 attendees who clamor to see competitive eaters try for the title every Fourth of July by eating as many hot dogs as they can in 10 minutes.
When some competitive hot dog eaters started following Harvey’s Instagram account earlier this year, they commented on his posts about wanting to see him in New York City this summer. They were able to connect his parents with someone at Nathan’s Famous, and after a virtual call, the tween was invited to the theme park Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where he performed at the hot dog-eating qualifier, putting him on the road to the Big Apple. He will join several other musical and variety acts during the contest’s pre-show festivities.
Photograph courtesy Hot Dog Harv
The family is turning the performance opportunity into a family trip. Their plans include sightseeing, plays, and Broadway shows, for Harvey and his older sister, Amelia’s first trip to New York. Cincy Shirts is currently selling a “Hot Dog Harv Live at Coney Island” t-shirt to mark the occasion and help the family pay for expenses.
“Harvey is most excited to see the BIG city,” says his dad, Alex. “He’s very fascinated by the idea of going to a place he has seen in movies and on TV. He wants to see the Statue of Liberty the most when it comes to famous sights.”
Photograph courtesy Hot Dog Harv
But his son is also pumped for the sights and sounds of Coney Island.
“Hot dogs, rides, beach?” says Harvey, who takes his songwriting parody inspiration from the likes of Weird Al Yankovic. “What’s not to love about a weird place like that!? AND it’ll be the 4th of July! FIREWORKS!”
You can watch the competition live on ESPN 3 (women’s) and ESPN 2 (men’s) beginning at 10:45 a.m. and noon, respectively, on Saturday, July 4, and both categories will telecast live on ESPN.com.
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