On Monday, Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, the Vallejo-raised competitive eater, announced his return to Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, the world’s preeminent eating competition, one year after he was banned from the event for partnering with a vegan meat company.

The colorful, sea-inspired Mermaid Parade splashes back onto the Coney Island boardwalk this weekend for its 43rd year. Hosted by the nonprofit Coney Island USA, the beloved event is the nation’s largest art parade,