CSLE presents first Glizzapalooza event
On Saturday Sept. 26, a new event called Glizzapalooza was brought to CSB by the CSLE. The event was made up of hot dog and pickle themed activities.
What if one created an event purely about hot dogs? This is what sophomore CSB student and Student Engagement Assistant Sammy Kilian wondered this last summer while working closely with The Center for Student Leadership & Engagement (CSLE) on fall programming, and what became the origin story for their hot-dog themed Glizzapalooza event Saturday, Sept. 26.
Not sure where the name comes into play? According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, “Glizzy is slang for a frankfurter with a typically mild flavor that is heated and usually served in a long-split roll, aka a hot dog.”
CSLE took this concept and created a unique experience for students on campus. “I wanted to see if we could create an event completely centered around hot dogs,” Kilian said via email. “It’s kind of a silly premise, but that’s also what makes it so fun, because who doesn’t love glizzies?”
Welcoming nearly 200 students at Guild Hall on the St. John’s campus, people came for the fun and stayed for the many hot dogs, brats, specialty sausages from St. Joe Meat Market, airbrushed hats, hot dog plushies, edible cookie dough and the crowd-favorite Mechanical Pickle, a pickle-take on the mechanical bull ride.
“A lot of the planning was figuring out how to take the overall idea and turn it into a full event. We had to think what activities would keep people there and engaged,” Kilian said. “I think one of the biggest parts of planning events through CSLE is that there is a lot that happens behind the scenes. We spend a lot of time as a team brainstorming, ordering supplies, reaching out to different departments or on-campus vendors, figuring out the space and setup, promoting the event and then making adjustments as we get closer.”
The marquee event was the inaugural Hot Dog Eating Contest, where students competed to eat the most hot dogs (buns + sausage) in eight minutes. Students sat lined up on a large picnic table wearing the armor of plastic ponchos, mouths full of the event’s namesake. SJU sophomore Chris Mendez became the first-ever champion, earning himself a first-place trophy and a $100 St. Joe Meat Market gift card.
“I didn’t eat anything the entire day to prepare for the contest,” Mendez said via email. “I was nervous at first because I thought I’d be going against guys way bigger than me, but I got lucky. Still, I got nervous going up to the table and eating like a troglodyte in front of everybody.”
Mendez ate seven hot dogs, while second place ate five and third place ate four. “I enjoyed being a part of it with my friends cheering me on. I also felt like throwing up afterwards but having a good time with my friends and a trophy made it worth it,” Mendez said.
Second place winner SJU sophomore Denzel Rubio-Gil enjoyed the event as a whole, but especially the contest.
“The energy was fantastic, and the whole event was really well put together. The free food and plushie were a nice bonus too. I would happily attend again,” Rubio-Gil said via email.
With its successful debut, CSLE said they plan for Glizzapalooza to return each September as an annual tradition.
“It was really cool getting to see everything come together, especially the hot dog eating competition and all the different activities we planned,” Kilian said. “I loved seeing students show up, participate and enjoy something that started as a silly idea. It was definitely one of my favorite events to plan.”
