As school lets out and warmer weather rolls around, summer foods like watermelon, potato salad and hot dogs are a staple at every celebration.

For senior Nick Johnson, summer eating was taken to the extreme when he competed in Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest Sunday, part of St. Paul’s Grand Old Day.

It was Johnson’s first time ever in an eating competition, and he said it will probably be his last.

“I kind of did it as a joke. I’m not really serious about competitive eating and I’ve never done it,” Johnson said.

In her first time judging an eating event, Abby Wirth said Johnson put in a “valiant effort.”

“I liked that I had him because he was tame,” Wirth said. “I couldn’t handle everyone shoving food down their throat.”

Because Johnson only ate five hot dogs, falling short of the male champion’s 29 and the female winner’s 31, he will not advance to the Coney Island competition on July 4.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment,” Johnson said. “Basically, you can cross this off your bucket list. I competed at Nathan’s Hot Dog Competition.”

Baihly Warfield can be reached at warf3860@stthomas.edu.