National Hot Dog Month Tour Venues

It's June 27 and the National Hot Dog Month Tour is set to begin! Drew Bennet (from the Benspark blog) and myself will be touring four New England States eating a hot dog a day at a different venue each day in July. We kick started the tour today by visiting Pearl Meats in Randolph, MA. Business owners Bob Camelio and Marshall "Buddy" Lazaro gave us a tour of the facility and showed us what goes into their hot dogs.

The real fun begins on July 1 when I will eat the first hot dog of the tour at the stroke of midnight at Fenway Sausage Works in New Bedford, MA. From there, we'll be all over the place!

Here is a list of stops we plan to make throughout the month. While we will try to adhere to this schedule, weather may alter it over the course of July (we don't want to eat at a hot dog cart in a thunderstorm). If you want to know exactly where we'll be, follow me on Twitter  Follow @Hotdogman1964 or go "like" Hot Dog Stories on Facebook. As always, videos of each day's visit will be posted on Hot Dog Stories dot com.

Without further ado, here are the tour stops:

July 1:   Fenway Sausage Works, New Bedford, MA
July 2:   Zippity Do Dog, Framingham, MA
July 3:   Sullivan's, Boston, MA
July 4:   Cookout, My House! (with Pearl Franks on the Grill)
July 5:   The Dogfather, Worcester, MA
July 6:   Boomer's, Westborough, MA
July 7:   So Sabe's, Onset, MA
July 8:   Hot Dog Cart, Rochester, MA
July 9:   Larry Joe's New England Fire Pit, Bellingham, MA
July 10: Yank's Franks, Wells, ME
July 11: Gilley's, Portsmouth, NH
July 12: Flo's, Cape Neddick, ME
July 13: Snappy Dogs, Hopkinton, MA
July 14: Dell's, Wareham, MA
July 15: South Coast Coneys, Middleborough, MA
July 16: Onleyville New York System, Providence, RI
July 17: Beezer's, Northborough, MA
July 18: Simco's, Boston, MA
July 19: Tex Barry's, Taunton, MA
July 20: Tex Barry's, Attleborough, MA
July 21: Cookout @ The Beach (Pearls on the Grill)
July 22: Jimmie's, New Bedford, MA
July 23: Windy City Eats, Weymouth, MA
July 24: Harbor Dogs, Scituate, MA
July 25: Auggie Dogs, Methuen, MA
July 26: Hot Dog Annie's, Leicester, MA
July 27: That's My Dog, Attleboro, MA
July 28: Donna's Dawgs, Middleborough, MA
July 29: Naughty Dogs, New Bedford, MA
July 30: Fred's Franks, Wakefield, MA
July 31: Casey's Diner, Natick, MA

There you have it folks, the 2012 National Hot Dog Month Tour! Make sure you check in to be sure where we'll be. Last year, the schedule changed several times for a variety of reasons.

Happy National Hot Dog Month!

National Hot Dog Month Tour 2012 Seeks Funding

With only six weeks to go until National Hot Dog Month, my team and I are still seeking funding to make the project happen. We have secured new camera equipment and some corporate sponsors, but we still need one very important thing to make it happen: GAS MONEY!

We are also looking for lodging in Old Orchard Beach and/or Wells, Maine for a mid-week run through some Maine establishments. If you own an Inn, hotel or motel and can spare a couple of rooms mid-week, we will shout about you from the rooftops and list you as a tour sponsor! We are also accepting tee-shirts, hats and other promotional items to hand out along the way. If you have promotional items you'd like to see on the tour, contact me.

Seriously, we are going to 31 venues (there are two cook-outs on the tour) and shooting 31 videos plus doing 31 write ups AND we'll have some supplemental videos as well. Once the tour is over, we are going to pour through the hundreds of hours of footage from last year and this year and put together a 60-90 minute, feature length documentary. I will also be producing a book about the experience.

One of the best things we do is bring publicity to small business people who are in the hot dog business. The media attention and exposure these joints get really helps them. It is a lot of fun doing the tour, but it's also a lot of work. There are literally weeks of planning and during July, the tour is a 24 hour a day job.

This year, Drew Bennet from the Benspark Blog is the official tour photographer and videographer. Adding another person to the team doubles the travel expenses as we both have to travel from our homes to each location every day. We just need some help with the gas and in turn, we will give you gobs of publicity- if that's what you desire. If you want to remain anonymous, that's OK too.

Click HERE to find out more about the film.

National Hot Dog Month Developments

July will be upon us soon, and with July comes the National Hot Dog Month 2012 Tour! I have been planning for a few months now, but preparations will kick into high gear over the next few weeks.

I am preparing my list of places to visit, and when it is finalized, I will publish it. Don't forget to vote for your favorite hot dog joint that you'd like to see included on the tour HERE. I can't guarantee I will get to every place, but I do a lot of Hot Dog Stories from now through November, so even if a place isn't visited in July, I still may get there. Don't forget, we go Hot Doggin' in Maine, Montreal, Florida, and all over New England. I also plan to attend the new Jersey Hot Dog Tour in the fall!

Kodak has provided us with cameras, Onion Crunch is going to provide some product for the tour too.

We will be doing a "warm up" visit to Holman Stadium in Nashua, NH on Tuesday June 26 for their $1000 Hot Dog Night. The hot dog wrappers are stuffed with $1, $5, $10, $20, and $50 bills so each patron has a chance to win some  money with their purchase. That night, the Nashua Silver Knights will be playing the Wachusett Dirt Dogs and The Hotdogman will be throwing out the first pitch and eating the ceremonial first hot dog! I might referee a hot dog eating contest too.

I am also pleased to announce that Pearl Franks are the OFFICIAL National Hot Dog Month Hot Dog! We will be kicking off the month of July with a visit to their plant in Randolph, MA. Buddy Lazaro has promised us some franks, including their new Jalapeno Franks, to bring around to vendors and patrons alike while on the tour. We'll get the nickel tour of the plant to kick off the month and we'll go from there!

Thanks Pearl!

Hamburgers, Hot Dogs and a NEW SPONSOR for National Hot Dog Month

I had a great time on a beautiful day at Casey's Diner in Natick with Richard Chudy, of Boston Burger Blog fame and Drew Bennet from the Benspark blog. We munched on some yummy burgers and dogs, but that story will have to wait until tomorrow.

Drew will be riding shotgun with me on The National Hot Dog Month 2012 Tour this July. Since he's a member of the team, he's been actively seeking sponsors and he scored a good one! Kodak has donated a bunch of camera equipment for the tour. This year will feature better production values and much better sound, thanks in large part to Kodak!

If you would like to sponsor the event, contact me at hotdogman@thehotdogtruck.com or help fund the tour here.

National Hot Dog Month 2012 Preparations Continue

The funding continues for National Hot Dog Month 2012. To date we have secured a sponsorship commitment from Onion Crunch, the new fried onion condiment that is sweeping the nation. We will be handing out samples of Onion Crunch at every stop on our tour

Negotiations with other sponsors continue, and my team and I are very close to making a major announcement in the coming weeks.

I have also submitted proposals to several production companies for distribution/production of the documentary that we will make. Team member Drew Bennett has secured a whole bunch of new camera equipment from some of the many companies he does his giveaways for. Drew will be riding shotgun, shooting a lot of the footage for this year's tour.

I also just received a $100 funding grant for the project on Indie Go Go from an anonymous source.

There are just 18 weeks and four days until the beginning of National Hot Dog Month, so jump on that bandwagon and get involved!

Surgery, Narcotics, and the Shark Tank

Last Thursday, I had surgery for a severe Inguinal Hernia. After arriving home, I have spent the past few days taking it very easy while under the stupefying effects of the pain killer Oxycondone. I have a new found respect for women who have had C-sections. The pain of a healing abdominal incision is indescribable. It makes the pain of my fractured tibial plateau from a couple of years ago seem like a skinned knee. The pain accompanies every movement, even the slightest, and it is searingly unbearable.

I usually never take any any prescribed pain killers, I just don't like the way they make me feel. With this particular operation, I am not only taking them, but I am taking the maximum recommended dose. I have never been woken from deep sleep by pain, until now. While the pills do take the edge off the pain, I am left feeling out of it. I feel drunk, high and I have a kind of constant flesh creeping feeling. I really can't see why people would want to take this stuff recreationally, it is rather unpleasant. For the short term, I will trade the unpleasant feelings to stay largely pain free.

Throughout my pre-operative stage, I have put a bunch of irons in the fire. I have begun planning for my National Hot Dog Month 2012 Tour, I have started writing a couple of ebooks, I am planning a new personally branded website and I have begun one of several new joint ventures. The first joint venture to come to fruition is my new status as a co-author on my buddy Kirk Taylor's Shark Tank Site. Read my first Shark Tank post on The Last Lid, enjoy.

The nearly month long post operative stage should allow me to complete my ebooks and get my other projects off the ground-it's really easy to stay focused when you aren't allowed to drive!

My Doctor's Opinion on National Hot Dog Month 2012

I am having hernia surgery tomorrow. Tuesday, I visited my Doctor for a check up and asked him to weigh in on eating a hot dog a day to celebrate National Hot Dog Month 2012.

Last year, some folks had a lot to say about this being an unhealthy practice.

See what the Doctor has to say....

Nominate Your Favorite Hot Dog Joint

I am already planning the National Hot Dog month Tour for July 2012. My goal is to visit as many iconic joints as possible without repeating (too many) stops from last year's tour. I am looking for feedback as to where to visit. I can't guarantee I can make it to every suggested place, but please, add your suggestions.

Answer the Survey HERE.

Update on National Hot Dog Month 2012

While the rush to fund the National Hot Dog Month 2012 tour has not resulted in an initial public groundswell, lots has been happening behind the scenes.

I have forged two traditional media partnerships (one newspaper and one TV station) with negotiations in process for additional partnerships. These partnerships guarantee mass exposure for the tour which results in many more eyeballs to the tour and the websites. This presents a unique marketing opportunity for companies that wish to be associated with the tour; for relatively short money (compared to traditional marketing channels) a company can sponsor the tour and get exposure for their brand for the entire month.

I am also very pleased to announce the addition of Drew Bennet to the team. Drew runs the Benspark blog and has a very dedicated following. He's also an accomplished photographer and videographer; Drew will be handling most of the video recording and photography for the tour. He's also working on getting General Motors to give us vehicles to travel around in. You may recall, he scored a Camaro convertible for our visit to Larry Joe's New England Fire Pit last summer.

I have also decided to focus primarily on the iconic hot dog establishments of New England- places that have a 50+ year history- for at least half of the visits. We will also attend more baseball venues, particularly if certain deals that are in the works fall into place. GM would like the "baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet" angle as would several local minor/collegiate baseball leagues in New England I have been in contact with. Of course we will have a few carts, trailers and trucks in line, just not as many. We are also going to limit "repeat visits" this summer- no offence to past participants, we just want to keep the content fresh.

Check back for further updates.

Interviews at Affiliate Summit West 2012

When I attended Affiliate Summit West 2012 in Las Vegas last month, I had the opportunity to interview John Chow, Shawn Collins, Nate Beal, Syed Balkhi, Wade Tonkin, Tricia Meyer, Bryan Knowlton, Missy Ward, Eric Thomas, and Eric Hom. This video is a compilation of those interviews.

National Hot Dog Month 2012

Last summer, you may recall my adventures in July. That was when I ate a hot dog a day at a different venue to celebrate National Hot Dog Month. Each day I would go eat a hot dog and shoot a video about wherever I was eating it. You can see all the videos on Hot Dog Stories.

For 2012, the tour is going to be bigger and better. I have big plans and goals for this year's tour. The single most important thing I want to do is get better video and audio equipment, a better computer with more vibrant video editing software, a professional editor for a better quality finished product and money for travel and lodging expenses. The Hotdogman is going nationwide in 2012; more travel means more expenses.

In addition to the 31 videos and photo posts that will be produced for July's tour, I plan on producing a 60-90 minute documentary about the experience and publishing a book about it.

I am also actively seeking partners for this project, so if you (or someone you know) is in a position to sponsor the tour, please contact me or direct them to THIS LINK.

I am actively raising funds for this project as well, you can read all about it HERE.

There will be much more to follow; as always- stay tuned.

National Hot Dog Month 2012 Funding Update

Wednesday I started planning National Hot Dog Month 2012. It is going to be BIGGER and BETTER than last year. My team and I will be making 31 videos of different hot dog venues as I eat a hot dog a day during the month of July. We will also be producing a documentary about the experience and writing a book.



You can get more info on how to help with the project HERE.

We have already had some sponsors sign on, get on the bandwagon and help make National Hot Dog Month 2012 a big success!

Thanks to Jim Kukral and The Dogfather for helping to fund this ambitious project.

An Affiliate Summit 2012 Album

The Hotdogman was a man with a plan at Affiliate Summit West this year. I had three main objectives and I accomplished all three. The first was to have discussions with affiliate networks about hooking up a company I work with for affiliate sales. The second was to cement some relationships for partnerships going forward. The third was to get ASW 2012 attendees perspective on a VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION (more on that later).

I made some great connections, got some solid new ideas, and had a boatload of fun. My photo journal of the event follows.

The journey started on an unseasonably warm January Saturday morning at Logan Airport in Boston.

After eight long hours of travel, I arrived in Las Vegas with my chariot awaiting me.

Before I knew it, the Las Vegas Strip was at my feet.

I went to Caesar's Palace to check in to the conference early. 

There was a very small crowd of early birds and I bumped into Priscilla Nunez who was definitely in the spirit of the conference- right down to her nails!

After that, I saw the volcano at the Mirage erupt. I shot a video of the entire eruption.

The next stop was an impromptu meet up at Gilley's.

After that, I headed back to my hotel. On my way I posed with some modern day Romans.

When I got to my hotel, I played some craps, won $75 then went to bed. I woke up the next day and had an AMAZING breakfast at the Hash House a Go Go.

Before hitting the conference, I hit the sports book and made some small investments which I would duplicate at the Caesar's Sports book. I went 3 for 3 on my Winning Football Picks and insured I would not have to hit the ATM during the rest of the conference.

I ascended to the conference area, giddy with excitement!

The registration area hadn't reached critical mass yet, so I headed over to the Blogger's Lounge.

Blogger's Lounge mistress Heather from Beautiful B.C. was there to get everyone set up- she was a real trooper for the entire conference, so I gave her some sea glass earrings and asked her "the question."

I was off to breakout sessions after that. The first was "The Future of  Content Monetization and Publishing" with panelists Murray Newlands, Ian Fernando, John Chow and Steve Hall.

The next session I went to was "SEO-Ask the Pros" with Bruce Clay (pictured below), Stephan Spencer and some anonymous dude. 

After the SEO session, I hit the Meet Market. The floor was crowded.

Next up was "Affiliate Improv" with Daniel Clark, (pictured below) Mike Buechele, Trisha Lyn Fawver, and Eric Souza.

I also went to "Affiliate/Merchant Networking" where I met Kim Rowley and many other folks- but I didn't take any pictures. After a nice dinner with Kirk Taylor and Ron Opher, it was time to PARTY!

The first stop was The Shareasale.com Party at the Chateau Nightclub in the Paris Casino.

This is a dual level nightclub with the indoors downstairs and a lovely patio under the Eiffel Tower.

After that, it was off to the Palms for the Tip Off Party. There was an open bar and the Hotdogman got a VIP pass! I got pretty lathered up at this shindig and snapped a picture of these Blue Man Group wannabees dancing.

Off to bed after that and looking to Monday. I hit the Blogger Room for some coffee and then hit the opening keynote speech with Jon Spoelstra. His message to "market outrageously" hit home and he just loved the Hotdogman's National Hot Dog Month stunt! We snapped a picture and I asked him the question too.

The Exhibit Hall opened up, so I went to check it out. 

I had specific business with Share a Sale, Commission Junction and As Seen on PC. I also roamed around grabbing swag.

The best give away in the joint by far was at the Convert2Media booth.

They had Rodney serving up my two most favorite words: FREE BEER!

I roamed the exhibit hall for a while after speaking with the folks I needed to see, then headed out for a smoke. The smoking lounge was a great place to network away from the noise of the exhibit hall.

I spent the rest of the afternoon circulating and interviewing folks. I interviewed my benefactor, John Chow (he gave me the passes to the Summit).

Next up was the $2000 Blackjack Hand for Shoemoney Contest Winner Julian Hooks.

Julian won $500 for travel, free suite at Caesar's, a Platinum Pass, AND the opportunity to bet $2000 on one hand of blackjack. Here's Shoemoney and Julian with the cash!

Julian sat at a full table and laid the money down- see what happened HERE.

After that, I zipped back over to my hotel to change and got ready for a long evening of poker and partying. My first stop was Purpose Inc's Poker Tournament at the Mirage. This is the fourth Affiliate Summit Tournament DK has put on.

I didn't make it to the break, but I hung around until the end to shoot a video of the tournament. Here's a photo of the final table. Note Bruce Clay in the front- like any good SEO guy he was everywhere!

During the break, as always, DK served In and Out Burgers.

You had to know this picture was coming!

Tony Ridley ended up taking home the prize by going all in with a full house.

While DK consoled second place finisher Troy McAllister, I made plans to make like a Shepperd and get the flock out of there!

The next stop was the Affiliate Ball at the Rio sponsored by Max Bounty. I had a VIP pass, but all that really got me was access to a bar with shorter lines and more expensive drinks! The ball featured Nelly. I must admit, I had no clue as to who Nelly was- I asked my 18 year old who replied "Oh, he's so middle school, dad!" The place was packed.

They had some very energetic dancers too.

This really wasn't my scene, so I hopped a cab to Affiliate Fight Night at Randy Coutoure's Gym. There were multiple sponsors for this event, but the main sponsor was Clickbooth.

It was pitch black when I walked in- you could hardly see the fighters.

Once I figured out my flash was off, I snapped a photo of the go go girls goofing off. ZOIKS!

One of the gals slapped a choke hold on the Hotdogman.

There were 3 fights scheduled. The fighters used 16 ounce gloves and wore pads; there was no ground and pound allowed either, so it was more like muay thai or kick boxing. It was still some pretty rough action that I got to see from a viewpoint I wouldn't normally get.

There was a shuttle bus with tons of beer on board that took us back to Caesar's Palace. John Chow, who was a guest judge for the final fight, was on the bus too- I swear he was following me around all weekend!

After hitting the sheets at about 4 AM, I woke up Tuesday in need of mass quantities of coffee. After an espresso IV, I hit the Pinnacle Awards and Keynote. I chatted with Tricia Meyer who won Blogger of the Year. I asked her "the question" too.

Turns out I didn't need the coffee since Eric Thomas, the Hip Hop Preacher was the morning keynote speaker. His high energy, uplifting speech could have woken the dead! We chatted after the speech and snapped a picture together.

After that, Ron Opher and I went to Pinks Las Vegas to do a Hot Dog Story.

Once I was done with the video shoot, it was nearly time for the closing keynote by Jeremy "Shoemoney" Schoemaker. His speech was informative and hilarious! He said it would be his final speaking gig ever (we'll see).

I caught up with Shawn Collins and Missy Ward, co-founders of Affiliate Summit, after the speech. This year's Summit was the biggest ever with over 5000 attendees. 

After mugging with Shoemoney....

...it was time to head back to my hotel and get ready to go home. I had a couple of hours to kill before my flight and I didn't want to blow my stack gambling, so I took a seat at a $0.25 poker machine and fed it a $20 bill. After a few spins of the wheel, look what happened:

A ROYAL FLUSH!!! Sweet! Mrs. Hotdogman was excited to see this picture pop up on her phone!

All told, it was a great trip. I definitely give Affiliate Summit West 2012

TWO THUMBS WAY UP!

As Arnold once said, "I'll be back!"