It’s that time again – Krystal Square Off Season. Ah, it’s music to our ears. Or is that still the sound of last year’s cheers for Joey Chestnut’s win that we’re hearing? Either way, the Square Off is back, it’s breaking the rules of tradition and it’s bigger than ever.

How so? We’re not leaking all the details here. You’ll have to head over to KrystalSquareOff.com to learn about the official date, talks of two new rule changes in the competition and much more. And, be sure to bookmark the KrystalSquareOff blog to hear about all of the upcoming KSO news, see photos, watch videos and get a behind-the-scenes scoop from interviews with the eaters.

KSO updates will also be available for fans on Twitter. Sign up to follow @ksquareoff and you’ll receive the most recent KSO details in real time as they unfold.

As always, stay tuned to learn more. It’s just the beginning!

Although many people already have plans scheduled for the holiday weekend, we know some of you will just be hanging around your hometown looking for the best local fireworks show. And, of course, there are always those last minute weekend planners who can use some help. So to everyone who falls in one of those last two categories, check out the following list of FREE 4th of July events taking place across the South. And, make sure to stop by your local Krystal after the fireworks show to enjoy an all-Amercian snack. Happy Independence Day!

ATLANTA, GA

Metro Atlanta has a number of spectacular fireworks shows for residents who live inside and outside the perimeter. Many of the following events feature fireworks, concerts, kid’s activities and more: Lenox Square Mall in Buckhead, Centennial Olympic Park, Stone Mountain Park, Downtown Decatur, and the Mall of Georgia in Buford.

BIRMINGHAM, AL
Check out the concerts and fireworks in Bartow Arena for the UAB Summer Band Annual Fourth of July Concert or the Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park Parade and Independence Day Celebration.

CHATTANOOGA, TN
Downtown Coolidge Park will host “Pops on the River”, an event featuring the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra and a fireworks show.

JACKSON, MS
The Cedars and Traceway Park will both have their own fireworks displays. If you want to get some shopping done as well, drop in at the Fourth of July Picnic at the Mississippi Craft Center, where you can hear live music, see fireworks and shop handmade arts and crafts.

JACKSONVILLE, FL
We suggest you “Go Fourth and Rock” with Pat Benatar and Richard Marx at Metropolitan Park, where you can also see a fireworks display over the river. You can also check out an oceanfront fireworks show at the SeaWalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach.

KNOXVILLE, TN
Join Lucas Richman and the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra under the stars for the 25th Annual Pilot FREE Independence Day Concert. The concert is part of “Festival on the Fourth”, which is held at the World’s Fair Park and will feature music, family friendly activities, food vendors and a fireworks display.

MEMPHIS, TN
Celebrate the 4th on Beale Street at the “Red, White and Blues” event and then head over to Tom Lee Park where the fireworks show will be held. Germantown residents who don’t want to drive into the city can attend the Germantown Family Fourth Celebration.

NASHVILLE, TN
Take part in an annual Nashville tradition at the 25th Annual “Let Freedom Sing!” celebration at Riverfront Park. It will feature an amazing fireworks show, family activities, and entertainment including the Nashville Symphony.

ORLANDO, FL
Enjoy live entertainment, food, fanfare and a fantastic fireworks display this Saturday, July 4th at “Fireworks at the Fountain,” which is held at Lake Eola Park! Festivities begin at 4 p.m.

SAN ANTONIO, TX
Families are invited to the city’s free celebration with a day of fun-filled games, food and musical entertainment at Woodlawn Lake Park. The highlight of the festivities will be the H-E-B Fireworks Extravaganza starting at 9 p.m.

Wherever you end up, have a safe and happy holiday!

Today marks the first day of July and a whole list of great things to celebrate: National Grilling Month, National Hot Dog Day/Month, National Ice Cream Day/Month and last but not least, National Drive-Thru Day.

We promise that we’re not making this up. Honestly, there are even more wacky holidays that could be highlighted, but as true Krystal enthusiasts we’re sticking to those that involve food. And even better, those that involve food you can get at Krystal. Really, who doesn’t want an excuse to stop by their favorite eatery to indulge in a little summer food celebration? Check out our list below of great Krystal options for each of July’s crazy daily and monthly observances.

National Grilling Month
Here’s a case where most people would say, “Grill out at your house on the patio with…” But let’s be real. If you live in the South with average daily temperatures upwards of 95 degrees, the last thing you want to do is stand over a hot grill outside in the sun. Our solution? Pick up a Sackful or even a Steamer Pack of Krystal Burgers made hot-off-the-grill by the great folks at Krystal. You can get that same grilled flavor without any of the work!

National Hot Dog Month/Day – July 18
Krystal Pups are little hot dogs with a big taste. Celebrate this great day with your choice of a Plain Pup dressed with your favorite condiments or spice things up with the Chili Cheese Pup loaded with shredded cheddar cheese and chunks of meat. If you like your dogs on the sweeter side, opt for the Corn Pup covered in a sweet cornbread batter, deep-fried and served on a stick.

National Ice Cream Month/Day – July 19
MilkQuakes, MilkQuakes, and more MilkQuakes. Need we say more? Made with real, premium ice cream, Krystal offers a variety of options including the classic flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry. And for the more complex pallets, Krystal has the ever-popular Banana Pudding and Caramel Oreo Brownie flavors.

National Drive-Thru Day – July 24
On the nation’s official drive-thru day, take advantage of having the ability to enjoy speediness, convenience and good food all in the air-conditioned comfort of your own vehicle. Whether morning, afternoon or evening, Krystal offers a great line up of big taste menu items, all available at the drive-thru. And since you will have already visited Krystal to try all of the items mentioned above, branch out and order one of our personal favorites – the Krystal Chik.

Jacksonville residents are very familiar with the Krystal brand and know a thing or two about terms such as “Sackful,” “Steamer Pack” and “Krystal Sized.” What they might not know is that Krystal is breaking ground on a brand new restaurant in Jacksonville, which is scheduled to open fall 2009.

Situated at 9166 Baymeadows Rd., this state-of-the-art Krystal will join the Jacksonville community, making a total of 28 Krystal restaurants in the area. This is good news not only for guests who live and work nearby, but also for local competitive eater Hall “Hoover” Hunt, who will have a new convenient location to stop in at and practice eating for the upcoming Krystal Square Off.

Guests can expect to see Krystal’s same great food and service at the new Jacksonville location along with a sleek, stylish interior showcasing innovative design elements including in-store digital menu boards that display animated food photography and meal options that change by the day part.

The Jacksonville restaurant will offer its complete line-up of signature menu items along with exciting new choices for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack time. We suggest trying out Krystal’s latest and greatest menu item, Sweet Bites, which are available anytime of day. Read here to find out what makes Sweet Bites taste so good and check out these customer reviews.

If you need a little more substance, try one of Krystal’s Big Angus Burgers featuring a large, 100% Angus chuck patty that’s served with your choice of seven premium toppings in a basket meal with a heaping pile of fries and tasty drink. A little tip from us: add bacon. It’s crispy, delicious and will make your taste buds very happy.

And of course, the new Jacksonville Krystal will be an official “Krystal HotSpot,” offering free Wi-Fi Internet access to guests. After all, shouldn’t Internet be free everywhere?

We always say that nothing can stand in the way of a Krystal Lover’s craving for those hot-off-the-grill, little, square burgers. Granted, we’re partial, but the newly titled Miss Tennessee agrees. Raised and crowned in the founding state of Krystal, or as we like to call it “the heart of Krystal country,” Stefanie Wittler is a Krystal Lover through and through.

Of course, we’ve known for a couple years now that Wittler is a diehard Krystal fan from the Krystal story she submitted back in 2007, which landed her a starring role in her very own Krystal commercial. Now as the new Miss Tennessee, Wittler’s love for the brand has been made public again.

After reading a recent article posted on TheChattanoogan.com, we learned that during the training for the Miss Tennessee pageant, Wittler was well aware of the swimsuit portion of the pageant. However, she did not give up her love for Krystal burgers, never eliminating them from her diet throughout the entire process. So it came as no surprise that when Wittler finally won the Miss Tennessee pageant, she celebrated by rewarding herself in the best way possible — with a Sackful of Krystals. Now that’s what we call a true Southern celebration.

Here’s a big congratulations to Stefanie Wittler for winning the Miss Tennessee pageant and a big thanks for being such a loyal Krystal fan. With dedication like that, she might just find herself in the spotlight once again, but this time for the Krystal Lovers Hall of Fame.

Banana Pudding is a favorite among dessert eaters in the South. Just ask all of the Krystal Lovers who were introduced to the Banana Pudding MilkQuake last summer. It was so good, it’s making a comeback. And, it’s not the only new flavor being featured this summer. Say hello to it’s little friend,  The Caramel Oreo Brownie MilkQuake.

Made to order with premium vanilla ice cream, real banana pudding and Vanilla Wafers, The Banana Pudding MilkQuake is blended fresh on the spot and topped off with the perfect portion of whipped cream. When you drink this ice cream delight, the only difference your mouth will notice between the MilkQuake and some good ‘ole Southern banana pudding is the fact that it is icy cold and you’re sippin’ it through a straw.

The Caramel Oreo Brownie MilkQuake is also a nice cold alternative during the hot summer months. Say goodbye to the simple, plain brownie you’ve always known because once you taste this Quake made with real chocolate ice cream and premium caramel blended with chunks of Oreo cookie and brownie, you’ll never go back. It’s guaranteed to satisfy even the strongest sweet tooth and chocolate cravings.

So don’t delay, both the Banana Pudding and Caramel Oreo Brownie MilkQuakes are available for a limited time only and you don’t want to miss out. And for all you fast drinkers, check out our recent post with tips on how to help relieve brain freeze. It could save your life or prevent a head ache. Same thing.

It’s officially the first day of summer, and this equation pretty much sums it up… summer = hot; hot = cold beverage; cold beverage = Krystal Freeze/MilkQuake; Freeze/Quake = brain freeze; and brain freeze = BrainFreezeRelief.com.

That’s right, it’s inevitable that the hot temperatures will strike up cravings for Krystal’s icy cold beverages, such as the Lemonade and Mango Freeze, or Krystal’s premium ice cream treats, like the Chocolate and Strawberry MilkQuake. So, what do you do when brain freeze, a.k.a. sphenopalatineganglioneuralgia, sets in?

Here are some tips to help alleviate the pain along with an instructional video to share with fellow brain freeze victims.

• Press your tongue to the roof of your mouth. This will help warm the area back up, constricting the blood vessels.
• Drink a glass of warm water at the first sign of brain freeze. Other warm food items will also work. The key is to warm the mouth back up so the blood vessels constrict.
• Create a mask with your hands and place over your mouth and nose while breathing rapidly.
• Lay your head to the side. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this may help alleviate the pain.
• Holding warm hands (either yours or somebody else’s) over your ears.
• Rub the back of your neck vigorously.
• Hold your breath.

Visit brainfreezerelief.com to learn more about the condition, meet other sufferers and trade brain freeze relief home remedies. And with our upcoming post highlighting Krystal’s new summer Quake flavors, you’ll definitely be glad that you’re armed with these tools on how to achieve a brain freeze, pain-free existence. Just consider it a personal gift from us to you.

Most people are familiar with the phrase, “If you build it, they will come.” However, we’re not talking about baseball. Oh yea, you guessed it. We’re talking about Krystal, or better yet, The Tower of Krystals.

Recently featured on Rambling’s blog and Twitter page (@rambling1on), the tale of The Tower of Krystals began with a family outing to Krystal where one of the children used all 20 empty Krystal boxes to create his own Krystal masterpiece. And in the words of Rambling, “Move over, Frank Lloyd Wright. Here’s the new standard in modern architecture… and it’s environmentally friendly as well as quite tasty!”

Of course, this isn’t the first we’ve heard of Krystal Lovers who dabble in Krystal Box Stacking, or what we like to call “Krystal Box Art,” but it’s fun to see what new Krystal constructions get made. Visit the following links to see some of the various box art highlights on Krystalist and vote for your favorite by posting a quick comment:

Art by Fellow Tweep: @SayonaraMrOtaku

Krystal Lovers on You Tube

The Clarks’ Krystal Monument

And if your creative juices are flowing, try stacking the baskets from Krystal’s new $5 Value Meal or one of the Big Angus Burger Basket Meals. We think it’s a little more challenging, but the tasty Double Bacon & Cheese BA makes for a great payoff.

We’re less than three weeks away from Nathan’s World Hot Dog Eating Championship, which means that The Krystal Square Off isn’t far behind (hint: think August). To help you get in the spirit, we wanted to highlight the Major League Eating’s (MLE) current Top Ten Eaters on the circuit worldwide. And, for a quick introduction and description of each, check out this article on Examiner Atlanta.

Top Ten Eaters:

Stay tuned for information about Krystal’s upcoming KSO VI to learn about dates, qualifying tour locations, new competition highlights and much more!

To see MLE’s top 50 list and to learn more great eater stats, visit http://majorleagueeating.com.

We admit, it’s getting a little crazy with all of the official drink/food holidays, but as Southerners, how could we possibly pass up National Iced Tea Day? Only in the South do you see “Tea Stands” instead of  “Lemonade Stands.” It’s a tradition, and who are we to argue!

And as the oldest quick service restaurant chain in the South, Krystal’s menu is filled with many Southern favorites including regular Iced Tea and Sweet Tea blended from China Black and premium teas specially grown for ice tea. Both are equally refreshing and perfect beverage choices to help celebrate National Iced Tea day and these hot days of summer. Have it plain, sweet or with lemon. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

Of course, you can continue to keep cool with more Krystal menu items like the Lemonade and Mango Freezes. Try one out and send us your review. We’ll feature it here. But be sure to watch out for sphenopalatineganglioneuraliga, or what we common folks call “brain freeze.” If you just can’t help yourself from drinking too fast (we know the Krystal Freezes are that good), then click here to see a list of tips on how to relieve this condition.