Rural King and Joey Chestnut Announce 2026 Partnership, Launch National Popcorn Day Tradition and Path to 2027 Championship
TERRE HAUTE, Ind., Jan. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Rural King, a family-owned retailer dedicated to the rural lifestyle, and competitive eating champion Joey Chestnut today announced a new year of partnership anchored around National Popcorn Day during a meet-and-greet at Rural King in South Terre Haute, where fans gathered for photos and a first look at a new popcorn collaboration exclusive to Rural King.
The partnership launches a series of regional events designed to build National Popcorn Day into a signature Rural King tradition and will culminate in a National Popcorn Day 2027 championship event, where amateur competitors will face off against Chestnut.
“National Popcorn Day gives us the perfect opportunity to turn something our customers already love into a signature Rural King tradition,” said Phil Reiter, vice president of marketing at Rural King. “Partnering with Joey allows us to create in-store excitement and community engagement today while building toward something much bigger.”
The South Terre Haute Rural King store holds special significance for Chestnut. In 2025, he broke the popcorn-eating record at the location, consuming 42 24-ounce bags in eight minutes.
As part of the partnership, Rural King is featuring Joey Chestnut’s World Record Big and Yellow Popcorn, a 2-pound bag of popcorn kernels inspired by Chestnut’s record-setting career. The product is available now exclusively in Rural King stores for $5.99.
“What I love about working with Rural King is how much they care about their communities,” said Joey Chestnut. “From the moment I set that popcorn record in Terre Haute, it felt like the start of something bigger. I’m excited to see fans across the Midwest and Southeast get involved, compete, and make National Popcorn Day a tradition we build together.”
Looking ahead, the 2026–27 Rural King and Joey Chestnut partnership will expand into a platform featuring three regional qualifier events, welcoming popcorn fans from across the country to take part in the National Popcorn Day celebration. The qualifiers are designed for popcorn aficionados looking to show their prowess. Prizes will be awarded to winners at each event, with details to be announced.
Regional winners will advance to a National Popcorn Day 2027 championship event, where they will compete alongside Chestnut. Additional details, including dates, locations and application information, will be announced later.
Rural King aims to become a destination retailer for National Popcorn Day, creating in-store experiences that combine family-friendly entertainment, customer engagement and community excitement. This year’s kickoff marks the start of a multi-event platform that will continue building into 2027 and beyond.
About Rural King, Inc.
Rural King, also known as RK Holdings, LLP, planted its roots as America’s Farm and Home Store in Mattoon, Illinois in 1960. Since that time, Rural King has grown to more than 140 stores in seventeen states. Rural King offers the lowest prices on a broad range of essential goods, food, feed, seed and other farm and home necessities to the communities we serve throughout Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. We welcome and encourage everyone to enjoy our longstanding tradition of offering free popcorn and coffee every time you visit our stores.
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SOURCE Rural King
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