SULLIVAN COUNTY – You might remember Claryville native Charlie Breiner from our September 2025 article about his experience at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. Recently, Charlie got a nice surprise at the VA where he lives from Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Champion, Joey Chestnut. 

Chestnut was at Heritage Financial Park, home of the Hudson Valley Renegades, for an event last month for a special Cider Donut Challenge. The defending champion was joined by Sullivan County resident and legislative aide to Senator Peter Oberacker, Camille O’Brien, who is also a competitive eater. “Charlie is a big fan of the contest,” shared his daughter, Tina Ramos, “but I wasn’t able to make arrangements to get him to the stadium.”

 Ramos thanked Camille O’Brien for making such a special visit happen so quickly after the contest wrapped up for the day. Although brief, the time Charlie spent with Joey Chestnut was filled with excitement, leaving him with a heartfelt memory.