Getting Away to Enjoy Some Hamburgers in Akron

The National Hamburger Festival will take place on July 1 in Akron, Ohio at Lock 3.

Akron is one of four cities — including Seymour, Wisc.; New Haven, Conn.; and Athens, Texas — to claim the invention of the hamburger.

According to A Hamburger Today, Akron’s claim goes to the Menches Brothers, and the story goes something like this:

The brothers’ descendents, who now operate a small chain in Ohio called, not surprisingly, Menches Bros. claim that their great-grandfather and his brother (Charles and Frank, respectively) invented the dish at an 1885 fair in Hamburg, New York. The brothers originally sold sausages but ran out and were forced to use ground beef, which at the time was considered declassé. John Menches, in a Businessweek story, says, “Faced with nothing to sell at all, they fried [the ground beef] up, but it was too bland. My grandfather decided to put coffee, brown sugar, and some other household ingredients in it and cooked up the sandwich. My great-uncle Frank served the first sandwich, a gentleman tasted it and said, ‘What do you call it?’ Uncle Frank didn’t really know what to call it, so he looked up and saw the banner for the Hamburg fair and said, ‘This is the hamburger.’”

Regardless of which city actually has bragging rights, this is a great chance to get out and enjoy some of Ohio’s best hamburger joints.  Tickets are $5 for the day and is a great way to enjoy a fine summer day in one of the state’s revitalized downtowns.

If you decide to stay the night, Holiday Inn is the Festival’s official hotel.

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