Birth of the burger celebrated in Hamburg on Saturday

The festival was first held in 1985 to commemorate the birth of the hamburger at the Erie County Fair in Hamburg in 1885. Legend has it that vendors Frank and Charles Menches ran out of pork sausage and turned to hamburger, which they seasoned with secret ingredients, including coffee grounds.

And legend in Seymour, Wis., has it that the burger was invented the same year by Charlie Nagreen, known as “Hamburger Charlie,” who was selling meatballs made of ground beefsteak and decided it would be easier to carry them around the county fair in Seymour if they were flattened out.

Hamburg’s BurgerFest will start at 11:30 a.m. with hamburgers, cheeseburgers and a variety of other foods and confections from about 30 local restaurants and food trucks, as well as music, a car show and activities for children.

The event is presented by the Rotary Club of Hamburg, Rotary Club of Hamburg, Sunrise, Kiwanis Club of Hamburg and the Town of Hamburg Lions Club. Proceeds support charities and civic causes through the four service organizations.