ATLANTA - Atlanta is holding its first-ever Happy Weiner Festival in downtown Atlanta May 26-29.

Mayor Bill Martin said the idea is based on the smiley face on the town's water tower and the large downtown statue of Paul Bunyon holding a hot dog.

"We figured that name was a good way to draw attention to the festival," said Martin.

The festival, Martin said, will be used to promote tourism to Atlanta in conjunction with old Route 66. A Route 66 preservation award will be presented by the Route 66 Heritage Project during the festival.

Bill Thomas of Atlanta will present the award to the Hamlet Arthur Stephens family of Cicero for their efforts to help keep the "Bunyon statue" in Illinois as a Route 66 icon. The ceremony will take place in front of the statue at 10:30 a.m. May 27.

"The purpose of the award is to encourage, recognize and promote preservation along Route 66 in Illinois. We want to especially encourage other small towns in Illinois to preserve their Route 66 heritage," said Thomas, "The award is presented to any project, individual or organization that has successfully preserved a piece of Route 66 in Illinois."

There will be a wiener-eating contest Friday evening, a Corvette cruise in all day Saturday, a wine tent, chuck-wagon cook-off Saturday and a community church service Sunday. A Blackhawk helicopter will fly in Saturday and nightly meals will be available at the fire station.

The festival also will include a carnival, food stands, entertainment and crafters. To participate, call (217) 737-7428.

An event from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday will feature about 20 vehicles in which people can take rides or have their pictures taken. Vehicles include everything from tethered balloons to motorcycles with sidecars to police cars and fire trucks.

Martin said the festival dates were chosen to draw more people to the downtown area and also encourage attendance at the annual Memorial Day ceremony.

"We were successful with our sesquicentennial and just thought we would give another festival a shot to promote Atlanta, and Route 66 is definitely a big part of that," said Martin.

Wiener Fest

May 26: Carnival, community meal, entertainment, history of the wiener, wiener-eating contest, music.

May 27: Award ceremony, carnival, wiener cook-off, community meal, entertainment, music, Elvis impersonator

May 28: Carnival, helicopter display, community meal, community church service, music.

SOURCE: www.happywienerfest.com; Compiled by Connie Seastedt