We are going to take the day off at the Weekly offices, so don't expect much from us this Independence Day (unless something terrible happens). We will be too busy hanging out with family, friends and drunken strangers at our favorite dive bars. That last one might just be me, again. 


You might find me at the Final 4th Ave Deli Hot Dog Shoot-Out at Che's Lounge, 350 N 4th Ave. The hotdog eating contest will start around 6 p.m. This is the place to be if you like to watch grown men stick multiple wieners in their face holes. I don't know exactly what the winner will get, but hopefully it's a free ride to the emergency room.

Here are the contestants: 

1. Joe "Joe P" Paul - Won 1st by eating 9 hot dogs in Round 1.

2. Devon "3D" Duhart - Won 2nd by eating 10 hot dogs in Round 1.

3. Paul Slankerd - Won 1st by eating 10 hot dogs in Round 2.

4. Christopher "C-$" Hecke - Won 2nd by eating 8 hot dogs in Round 2.

5. Dustin Cox - Won 1st by eating 10 hot dogs in Round 3.

6. Ryan "The Great Hambeeno" Hanson - Won 2nd by eating 9 hot dogs in Round 3.

7. Erich "Wolfenstine" Goodenkauf - Wildcard - Top 3rd place contestant (Round 2) by eating 6 hot dogs.

8. Daiken the Doorman of Che's - Wildcard.

Here's a cool event taken from our City Week section:

Each year, Arts Express presents "Let Freedom Sing," a patriotic musical performance held on July 4. The event begins at 3 p.m., in front of Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd., where concertgoers will see a life-size cardboard replica of the airplane Spirit of St. Louis. During the concert, there will be a video reenactment of parachuting onto the beach at Normandy to commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day.

Click here for details.


Last but not least, I really want to go to The Team America: World Police Sing-A-Long & Curse-A-Thon at The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. It's one of the most popular attractions the Loft has to offer.

Join your fellow fun-loving Americans as we put the “F” back in freedom by watching the cinematic exploits of America’s favorite anti-terrorist puppet commandos, Team America, and singing along to such classic tunes as “Freedom Isn’t Free,” “America, F**k Yeah,” “I’m So Ronery,” “Everyone Has AIDS,” and all the wonderfully nasty and heartwarming songs from the twisted minds of Parker and Stone. There’s no need to memorize all the songs before the show - the words will all be right there on the big screen. There’ll also be plenty of opportunities for audience participation, so start practicing your puppet dance moves now! Be a true patriot and sing along with sex-hungry, trigger happy, proudly American puppets at the Team America: World Police Sing-A-Long And Curse-A-Thon!

The event is for children 17 and older because they are screening the uncensored version. Click here to buy your $8 tickets.



One of my favorite local bands Pork Torta is performing with Silver Fox and local DJ/poet Marques Emanuel. I hear Marques is taking his talents to New York, so this awesome concert will double as a farewell party. There will be midnight fireworks, according to the flier. But don't take my word for it. Click here for more info. 


Don't miss (Terry) Texas Trash and Trainwrecks at The District Tavern, 260 E. Congress St. The free show starts at 10 p.m. It won't cost you an arm and a leg. They are debuting a new album that was reviewed and featured in this week's paper. 

You can read the rest here:

Listening to Gimmie a Hand!, this assertation makes complete sense: The Trainwrecks refigure The New York Dolls' "Subway Train," and the sonic reproduction of it, into a screeching, chugging locomotive storming a city's uneasy transition into modernity. It's not hard to imagine the brashly hilarious Trash as the conductor, and at this point maybe he is, but the band's name is a sardonic reference to a train accident that left him with a prosthetic arm and leg. The singer's wild and confrontational behavior on and offstage veil an intensely sharp and introspective man who quietly says that the accident, "was in some ways was the best thing that ever happened to me."

(H/T to Jalph.net)