This past Friday, July 16, we made the fourth and final stop of our 2010 Hoagiefest summer tour at our store in Lewes, Delaware.  The 60s-themed celebration was chalk full of amazing events and I was surprised at how quickly the day flew by. Then again, the same thing happened with all of this year’s Hoagiefest stops! 

At our Lewes celebration, I was thrilled that so many of our Lewes customers and our associates from surrounding stores joined the celebration – some decked out in groovy 60s-themed outfits!  They looked great next to our tie-dye next to our ¼ mile long hoagie.  Speaking of that hoagie, our store associates started building the masterpiece at 7:30AM to prepare the feast that would satisfy the day’s hungry hoagie lovers.  I’m proud to say that each associate also couldn’t wait to fill the Food Bank of Delaware’s truck when they came to pick up our donated truckload of hoagies. There truly is nothing more rewarding than volunteering your time to help others in need.

But we couldn’t stop with just a ¼ mile of hoagies, could we?  Of course not!  To round out the day, we held one of our signature Hoagiefest events – our Hoagies for Heroes Hoagie Building Competition, in which members of the local State police department, the Lewes Fire Department and two teams from the United States Army Reserves and recruiting branch raced against the clock to build as many hoagies as possible in three minutes.  I was pretty impressed that in just a few short minutes the teams built as many as they did, the State Police won the bragging rights as hoagie-building champions with 37 total, but all four teams were winners: We presented each team with a check to donate to their charity of choice. 

I can safely say that this year’s Hoagiefest Tour was the best yet. Thousands of Wawa fanatics feasted on over a mile of our hoagies.  But it wasn’t just the food that made Hoagiefest such a hit this year – it was all of you, our customers and our wonderful associates, who really made this year’s events special!  It was rewarding to watch all the children (and children at heart) who, while beaming from ear to ear, jumped at the chance to play hoagie games and take pictures with the Hoagie-mobile.  That’s what Hoagiefest is truly about – a time when we can connect with and give back to the communities that have loyally supported us throughout the years.  

With our last Hoagiefest event of the year behind us, I’m left eagerly awaiting next year’s celebrations.  I’m not sure how we’ll be able to top Hoagiefest 2010, but we’ll sure try! 

‘Till next time…