Believe it or not, the distinguished-looking man with the warm smile and wet shorts and shirt perched precariously on a board over a tank of water last June in downtown Bowling Green was Duncan Hines.
No, not the Duncan Hines who in the mid-20th century was an American author, food critic known for his restaurant ratings for travelers, and food products developer—most famously of cake mixes.
The man hovering over the water tank was a distant cousin of Hines who has the same name. This Duncan fell into the water when someone threw a ball that hit the right spot, triggering the board to collapse.
The free, popular game called “Dunk Duncan Hines” was a part of the first Duncan Hines Days last year in Bowling Green and the surrounding area. The weeklong event attracted at least 16,000 people from 28 states, based on zip codes tracked. It generated a conservative economic impact of $2.28 million for the area.
The second annual Duncan Hines Days is to unfold June 3-9, and preparations are under way, said Telia Butler, Bowling Green’s downtown development coordinator. Butler is a Bowling Green native who has held her job for about 2½ years and is a Western Kentucky University graduate. She formerly worked for the Bowling Green Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Bowling Green Marriott Hotel.
“It’s a grand community event—mostly free,” Butler said in her best promotions voice. She said Bowling Green observed Duncan Hines festivals in the early 1990s and 2000s on a smaller scale. “We decided to do much more and ended up with 20 events last year and have about the same number for this year.”
One of this year’s highlights will be the Eats & Beats Music Fest on June 8 from 3-10 p.m. at Circus Square Park. It will feature Bowling Green native Sam Bush, an American mandolinist who is considered an originator of the progressive bluegrass music known as “newgrass.”
Various events are scheduled for each day to honor the cake mix king.
Who Was Duncan Hines?
Born in Bowling Green on March 26, 1880, Duncan Hines was the son of a former Confederate soldier. When he was 4, his mother died, and he was raised by his grandmother. He attended Bowling Green Business University, which later merged with the current Western Kentucky University.
Hines worked for Wells Fargo in the American West and other companies before settling in Chicago.
As a traveling salesman in the 1930s, he ate many meals on the road across the United States. Hines and his wife, Florence, compiled a list of good restaurants to visit, which evolved into his first book, Adventures in Good Eating, which became a success. A few years later, he published the book Lodging for a Night. Both books were excellent for travelers. He followed these up with cookbooks, including Adventures in Good Cooking and the Art of Carving in the Home, The Duncan Hines Barbecue Cook Book and The Duncan Hines Dessert Book. He also wrote a column about food that was syndicated in several newspapers.
In 1952, Hines introduced Duncan Hines bread through a bakery in New York. He later came up with cake mixes. Five years later, Procter & Gamble bought the cake mix business.
Hines died of lung cancer at his Bowling Green home on March 1, 1959, at the age of 78. He was buried in the city’s Fairview Cemetery.
Conagra Brands, the current name for Nebraska Consolidated Mills, now owns the Duncan Hines brand. In 2022, it put out a mix named in honor of country music singer Dolly Parton. Natasha Neely, billed as Nashville’s No. 1 Dolly Parton impersonator, performed at last year’s Duncan Hines Days. She is scheduled to be back this year at the ice cream social.
Louis Hatchett, author of the 2001 biography Duncan Hines: The Man Behind the Cake Mix, said Hines without a doubt is one of the most recognizable names in American food products. “While other guidebooks of the era, like The Jewish Vacation Guide and The Negro Motorist Green Book, were providing safe travel tips for minorities fearing for their safety in small towns,” Hatchett wrote, “Hines was providing reassurance for motorists concerned about the growing number of deaths attributed to poor health standards at roadside diners.”
Hines’ influence on American dining standards is unparalleled. While traveling the byways and highways of a newly motorized nation in the 1930s, Hines was impressed by many dining establishments … and shocked by others.
At a time when there were no health departments, Hines was not afraid to ask to see the kitchen as he anonymously inspected a restaurant. His humble, yet humorous, opinions became the basis for his guidebooks that soon were in nearly every glove box in the nation.
Hines’ name on foods represented excellence in quality then and now, said Hatchett. “He gave us much more than some wonderful products for the kitchen,” Hatchett said. “He gave us a higher standard of dining in America.
“The next time you have an exceptional meal while dining out, give him a little nod.”
Bowling Green has honored Hines in various ways. A portion of U.S. Route 31W north of the city was named in his honor after his death in 1959. WKU’s Kentucky Museum in Bowling Green has an exhibit that showcases Hines’ life. A historical marker stands in front of the structure that Hines built in 1940 as his home and office at 3098 Louisville Road (U.S. 31W) and today is Hardy and Son Funeral Home.
The upcoming Duncan Hines Days is yet another way for Bowling Green to honor one of its most famous native sons.
The Celebration
The downtown kickoff will be held June 7, starting at 3 p.m. with a vintage car show around Fountain Square. A summer stroll parade is on tap at 4 p.m. and a community ice cream social will run from 5-8 p.m., with free live music and a party presented by Bourbon & Brewfest at BG Hot Rods Ballpark Plaza.
VIP tickets for the June 8 Eats & Beats Festival are for sale online for $75 each. The fest will offer food trucks, drinks and merchandise. WKU will provide additional parking on campus with a shuttle to and from the festivities.
More than 5,000 people attended the music festival last year, when the Kentucky Headhunters and Government Cheese were the featured musical acts.
Picnic Pops, scheduled for June 9 at Riverview at Hobson Grove, was canceled recently for various reasons. It is hoped to be available next year.
Throughout the week, Bowling Green will highlight its inaugural Restaurant Week, presented by Tyson Foods.
About 30 sponsors support Duncan Hines Days, Butler said. Each provides around $80,000 for the events, with government sponsors chipping in about $20,000 each.
At least 200 people are needed to bring it to fruition. “And by time they have been here, they will know more about Duncan Hines,” Butler said.
“He was a real man,” Butler said. “Other food name images, like Betty Crocker, were not real. Duncan Hines was real.”
Today’s Duncan Hines, who is expected to be back in the dunking booth at the festival, said he never met his famous cousin, but “the family is excited that the community is honoring him.
“How can you not love a guy who is responsible for so many cakes?”
A detailed list of the Duncan Hines Days events can be found at duncanhinesdays.com. They include a nostalgic block party, a water park day and a pickle ball social.