“These guys are nuts. I really hope no one throws up. Care for some hamburger with your water?” I thought to myself as I watched eight men sitting in a row, stuffing Jim-Denny’s half-pound hamburgers down their throats, one of who proceeded to dip his half-eaten burger and patty into a cup of water between bites.

On the stage behind them stood the emcee, Sacramento's local music guru Jerry Perry, with a mic in hand, watching with everyone else to see who would clean his plate first.

Pedro Alarcon won the Jim-Denny’s superburger-eating contest at 3 minutes and 41 seconds. Perry handed him a T-shirt for his accomplishment and suggested the rest of the men take their leftovers home. Then the party continued—the 75th Jim-Denny’s anniversary celebration, that is.

Even in the blazing heat, the landmark hamburger joint drew an impressive crowd Saturday to celebrate its many years of feeding Sacramento, providing $3 breakfast and lunch buffets along with a beer garden and live entertainment.

Anyone patient enough to wait in the long buffet lines indulged in Jim-Denny's favorites such as "tiny Jim" pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast, and hamburgers and hot dogs for lunch. Locals and non-locals, regulars and new customers alike showed up throughout the day. The restaurant's co-owner of more than four years, Patsy Lane, said she had never worked with such a wide variety of customers.

Restaurant patrons such as Lee Innocenti, who said he's been eating at Jim-Denny's for 10 years, and Mike Newcomer, who said he'd been eating at the restaurant since 1985 when Denny supposedly still owned the place, were among regulars who came to the event.

While looking for attendees as old or older than the establishment itself, Perry found 86-year-old Scotty Harper from West Sacramento, who surprisingly said he had never eaten at Jim-Denny's before in his life.

Aside from hamburger-eating contests and buffets, bicycle motocross stunts and live music also entertained the crowd throughout the day.

Sacramento’s 2-year-old Cap City BMX stunt team showed off its unique talent before lunch, with riders balancing on their bike pegs as they twirled and flipped their bikes on the asphalt.

The music lineup included bands such as Ol' Cotton Dreary, the Tattooed Love Dogs, the Regulars and the recently formed, young brother/sister duo, Who and the What Now.

Ol' Cotton Dreary even performed a song dedicated to the restaurant, singing a chorus that went something like, "You don't need teeth to eat all meat...Jim-Denny's."

Well-fed and entertained, people lounged beneath umbrella-covered tables and tents late into the afternoon.

Lane, appearing exhausted yet happy by the time she finally had a chance to sit down after the lunch rush, said all the proceeds from the event would go toward an outdoor patio for the restaurant.

Yet another day of serving Sacramento was accomplished-—long live Jim-Denny's.

For a preview article written about the event, see: http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/7681/JimDennys_celebrates_75th_anniversary