FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
Lori Bruce, Wawa lori.a.bruce@wawa.com
610-405-7782
Celebrating 2016 Wawa Hoagie Day: Honoring Our Everyday Heroes in the Birthplace of America
Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine and 93.3 WMMR’s Preston Elliot and Casey Foster Join USO, Local Heroes, and Army and Air National Guard in Six-Ton Hoagie Salute to our Troops
Wawa, PA (June 29, 2016) – As part of its seventh year as title sponsor of Wawa Welcome America! Wawa Hoagie
Day will feature all the patriotism Philadelphians have come to expect, along with appearances by a number of local and national celebrities and FREE admission to one area museum. Hosted by Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine of the
Food Network and Restaurant Impossible and Preston Elliot and Casey Foster of 93.3 WMMR’s Preston & Steve
Show, this year’s event marks the 24 th annual Wawa Hoagie Day since the inaugural Hoagie Day was held in 1992, when the hoagie was proclaimed the “Official Sandwich of Philadelphia” by then Mayor Ed Rendell. As always,
Hoagie Day will focus on honoring our military service members and expand on Wawa’s partnership with the USO, a military support nonprofit dedicated to connecting our men and women in uniform to their family, home and country as they serve our nation. This year, Wawa will build and serve a hoagie made of six tons of ingredients!
“Hoagie Day gives us the chance to celebrate all the ways in which Wawa fulfills lives every day for our community and our customers, but more importantly, it also gives us the opportunity to honor and pay tribute to the everyday heroes among us, especially those men and women who protect the freedoms we celebrate during Independence
Day weekend,” said Chris Gheysens, Wawa President & CEO. “This year’s Hoagie Day is set to be our biggest and best yet, and we are excited to join everyone in supporting our troops, our first responders, and the USO through
Wawa, and The Wawa Foundation. We hope all of the heroes in attendance realize how much we appreciate all they do to keep our country and our communities safe.”
Hoagie Day Details
On Thursday, June 30, 2016 at the Independence Visitor’s Center Lawn on Market Street between 5 th and 6 th
Streets, Robert Irvine, Philadelphia City Representative Sheila Hess, and emcees WMMR’s Preston Elliot and
Casey Foster, will join Philadelphia police officers and firefighters, members of the Pennsylvania Air and Army
National Guard, representatives of the USO, the USO Show Troupe, Wawa associates and hoagie-lovers across
Philadelphia for a Hoagie Day filled with excitement.
Hoagie Day will begin at 11:30 a.m. with a performance by the USO Show Troupe, followed by a hoagie march by military heroes and re-enactors, and a performance of the national anthem by
. Made up of
Broadway performers, the USO Show Troupe presents musical arrangements for shows around the country that pay tribute to the legacy of USO entertainers. In recognition of the 75th anniversary of the USO, USO volunteers will be recognized for their support of our military members and their families. Next, USO tour veteran Robert Irvine will address the service members in attendance, thanking them for their service, and encourage all guests in attendance to write and sign personalized letters to send to deployed service members at designated letter-writing stations, which will be sent in Wawa care packages during the holiday season.
New this year, Robert will point out the many everyday heroes in the crowd being honored at Hoagie Day, and share some of their personal stories that truly illustrate their great service to all of us. Philadelphia City Representative
Sheila Hess will read a special proclamation announcing that June 30, 2016 will be known as “Hoagie for Everyday
Heroes Day” and encourage everyone to show support for our local and national Heroes by participating in the campaign.

Finally, Hoagie Day will feature the Six Ton Hoagie Salute to our Troops, named after the continuing focus of
Hoagie Day—honoring our soldiers and hometown heroes, as well as Wawa’s long-standing partnership with the
USO. During the salute, the six-ton hoagie—which will be built the morning of the celebration at the nearby National
Constitution Center—will be marched in by Wawa associates and re-enactors from military moments throughout history, and served to the crowd, free of charge.
Wawa In-Store USO Campaign: Chef Irvine Special Recipe
Immediately following the salute, Wawa President and CEO, Chris Gheysens, will announce the goal of $700,000
for the Wawa Foundation's annual USO campaign, which kicked off in Wawa stores June 16. In addition to the campaign, Wawa, for the first time is featuring a new limited hoagie on the menu in all Wawa stores during the Wawa
Welcome America festival from June 27 through July 4th, created by Chef Robert Irvine. Named the “Hero’s Hoagie,” for every sale of this hoagie, Wawa will donate $1, up to $30,000 to the USO.
Hoagies for Heroes Charitable Hoagie Building Contests
Hoagie Day will conclude with a doubleheader hoagie building competition emceed by WMMR’s Preston Elliot
and Casey Foster. First, the Philadelphia police officers and firefighters will go head to head in a battle of bravery, skill, and sandwich-making expertise to see who can build the most hoagies in three minutes the traditional
Wawa way. Immediately following this competition, members of the Pennsylvania Air Guard 111th Attack Wing
and Army National Guard 108th Field Artillery & 56th Stryker Brigade will follow suit. While the winners of each contest will receive bragging rights, all teams will receive $3,000 donations for the charities of their choice. Wawa will conclude the Hoagies for Heroes competitions by presenting checks to the charities of the heroes’ choices.
Hoagie Day Line Up
• 5:00 a.m. -10:00 a.m. at the National Constitution Center: Hoagie Day Morning Build
• 11:30 a.m. performance by the USO Show Troupe
• 12 p.m. WWMR’s Preston and Casey introduce SSG Christopher Cope to sing the National Anthem
• 12:02 a.m. – 12:05 a.m.- Chris Gheysens speaks about history of Hoagie Day
• 12:07 a.m. Robert Irvine speaks about importance of our nation’s military and USO and shares stories
about our everyday heroes in the crowd
• 12:12 a.m. City Representative Sheila Hess Reads Hoagie For Every Day Heroes Proclamation
• 12:37 a.m. Preston Elliot and Casey Foster emcees Hoagies for Heroes contest
• 12:45 a.m. WMMR’s Preston announces winners of Hoagies for Heroes contests
• 1:00 p.m. The Clutch Collective dance troupe performs for the crowd
At the conclusion of the event, the crowd will be entertained by Philadelphia dancing group, In Da Clutch and encouraged to step inside the National Constitution Center as admission will be FREE, courtesy of Wawa, throughout Hoagie Day.
Free Admission to the National Constitution Center | Thursday June 30 th and Saturday, July 2, 2016
During the Hoagie Day celebration and on July 2nd, Wawa invites the crowd to enjoy a free day at the National
Constitution Center and enjoy Freedom Rising, the all-new story of “We the People” and Signers’ Hall. In addition, all attendees to the museum can explore the special exhibits planned in honor of our nation’s birthday, including the featured exhibit of the day—“Headed to the White House,” the only exhibit of its kind uniquely created to engage visitors of all ages with the excitement of the election season. Visitors can join the race, earn the nomination and win the election as artifacts, interactives and hands-on activities take them from the campaign trail and into the Oval
Office.

A display will feature Wawa's commitment to military, fire and police through photos of past Hoagies for Heroes contests, Care Package assembly days, annual Hoagie Day events and other activities celebrating our heroes.
About Wawa, Inc.
Wawa, Inc., a privately held company, began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. Toward the end of the 19th
Century, owner George Wood took an interest in dairy farming and the family began a small processing plant in
Wawa, PA in 1902. The milk business was a huge success, due to its quality, cleanliness and “certified” process. As home delivery of milk declined in the early 1960’s, Grahame Wood, George’s grandson, opened the first Wawa Food
Market in 1964 as an outlet for dairy products. Today, Wawa is your all day, every day stop for fresh, built-to-order foods, beverages, coffee, fuel services, and surcharge-free ATMs. In July of 2015, Wawa was named “America’s
Most Beloved Convenience Store” by a Market Force study of 7,000 consumers, winning with the highest "composite loyalty score" of 68 percent, and taking first place in the fresh food category. A chain of more than 720 convenience retail stores (over 435 offering gasoline), Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware,
Maryland, Virginia and Florida. The stores offer a large fresh food service selection, including Wawa brands such as built-to-order hoagies, freshly-brewed coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, built-to-order Specialty Beverages, and an assortment of soups, sides and snacks.
About the USO
The USO strengthens America’s military service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation. At hundreds of locations worldwide, we are united in our commitment to connect our service members and their families through countless acts of caring, comfort, and support. The USO is a private, non-profit organization, not a government agency. Our programs, services and entertainment tours are made possible by the American people, support of our corporate partners and the dedication of our volunteers and staff.
In addition to individual donors and corporate sponsors, the USO is supported by President’s Circle Partners: AT&T, the BNSF Railway Foundation, Clark Construction Group, LLC, The Coca-Cola Company, FedEx, Jeep, Johnson &
Johnson, Kroger, NFL and Four-Star Partners: Advisors Excel, BIC, ConAgra Foods, GEICO, Harris Teeter,
Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Starbucks, TKS, USAA and the Wawa Foundation. We are also supported through the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-11381). To join us in this important mission, and to learn more about the USO, please visit uso.org
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