583.

That’s how many pounds of bacon Don Edgar and his crew at the Petrolia Lion’s Baconfest chopped, cooked, fried, and baked into dozens of dilectables during the annual event Saturday.

Hundreds of people came out for the festival which celebrates everyone’s favourite breakfast meat scooping up everything from bacon-look cookies to everyone’s favourite bacon-wrapped hotdogs.

Edgar, who was the chef in local restaurants such as Actors, Skeeter Barlows and now Streets, became a Petrolia Lion’s member a year ago and was up to his elbows in bacon for the event.

His special creation, Bacon, Jalapeno Cheddar Soup, was a crowd pleaser as well as the just introduced Maple Bacon Apple Crisp.

He also came up with a  bacon inspired cocktail – the Bacon Ceasar – a Ceasar with a pickle and bacon skewer and rimmed with maple and bacon bits “because you know, you can’t have enough bacon.”

Edgar and the Lions were hoping to use their new trailer for the event, however it isn’t quite ready yet. He expects that will make work a lot cooler next year by cooking the bacon outdoors.

Edgar admits he’s now on the look out for bacon recipes which might entice even more people to double down on bacon. He plans to come up with a new bacon pasta next year.

But there is one thing that will not change – the Bacon Wrapped Hotdog, Edgar says it is by far, the fan favourite of Baconfest.

Ron Fowler tries to decide between bacon (peameal) and bacon (strip) during the Petrolia Lion’s Baconfest as Ken Schleifhauf serves him.

Billie Jo Schuyler of Sarnia came for the bacon including the ever popular bacon wrapped hotdog

A visitor to the Petrolia Lion’s car show during Baconfest is refleced in the 1929 Ford Coupe owned by Gary Freer of Sari