There comes a time after a move where your neighborhood finally feels like home. Be it a restaurant with the ultimate comfort meal, a neighbor that greets you warmly with a “Go Birds,” or an event that makes you think: Wow, I’ve really found my people. For me, that’s the Lucky’s Last Chance’s Great Weiner Race in Manayunk, a fundraising event for Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).
Listen to the audio edition here:
The Great Weiner Race is an ethical, safe and tongue-in-cheek dog race that is free to attend and it goes a little something like this:
And they’re off! Baxter’s pulling ahead with an early lead by pumping those little legs of his, but he’s running head-to-head with morning-line favorite Scout with Rex nipping right at his toes behind him … literally! And down the stretch they come. It’s short-neck and short-neck but what’s this? Longshot Odie bolts into first place with seconds to spare. Folks, we’ve never seen anything like this! It’s a photo-finish but dark horse … er … I mean dark weiner dog Odie takes home the purse!
My first time at The Great Weiner Race, I watched a long-haired dachshund named Odie take home the big prize of the evening. I laughed with my new neighbors. I made bets with my husband. “If that little tawny-colored one wins, you buy me dinner. If the Doxiepoo wins, it’s on me.”
When I saw Lucky’s announce that The Great Weiner Race would make its triumphant return after a year’s hiatus on October 16, I frantically scrawled out a text to my friends:
“Cancel your plans. This is an event you won’t want to miss.”
So, where did the idea to wrangle a dozen hot-dog-dogs and make them race come from? Lucky’s sells hot dogs — a food that visually goes hand-in-hand with weiner dogs. Surely this is some sort of way to market their menu?
Well, not exactly. The impetus behind the Great Weiner Race has far sweeter origins.
“We just have a lot of good customers with dogs,” says General Manager Anthony Imperiale. “We don’t have a really good space to celebrate them.”
The bar has one outdoor seat, so doting on their canine clients is difficult. That’s why the Great Weiner Race became Lucky’s quasi-Yes Day for the dogs of Manayunk.
“It’s been received really well over the years,” says Imperiale. “It started out as a really small thing that we did in our alley with just a handful of dogs and it’s just grown and grown over the years.”
It wasn’t long before their annual fundraiser outgrew their homebase. So they moved to Manayunk’s Pretzel Park, conveniently located next to a popular dog park.
For years, the neighborhood would flock to the park for the race. Then they outgrew that space as well. Lucky’s relies on food and beverage sales to fulfill the fundraising aspect of the race. For the last two years of the event the burger joint was unable to sell alcoholic beverages in the park, significantly reducing the final payout for PAWS.
The move? Take a year off from the race. Regroup. And find a new home.
Cue Venice Island Performing Arts and Recreation Center, where the dog race is set to take place this year with some major upgrades.
Certified little fellas only
The race track will now be on blacktop, so the pups can reach maximum racing speed (or more realistically, attendees won’t have to worry about sitting in dirt). Spectators can now watch from the bleachers to ensure that every seat has an unobstructed view of the festivities.
Folks should also prepare to be amongst The Great Weiner Race royalty. Imperiale notes there will be a special ceremony to honor the 12+ year old dogs in attendance who competed in the first race over a decade ago. Though they won’t be participating in the race itself … because every great athlete retires eventually.
This year, a Lucky’s record-breaking 65 dogs are set to vie for the coveted first place trophy. Big jock-type dogs need not apply. Lucky’s Great Wiener Race is for certified little fellas: Dachshunds (or dachshund mixes).
The canine-athalon includes roughly a dozen races throughout the evening. Owners stand at one end of the tarmac, pups at the other. At the sound of “go,” expect to hear lots of “come here, good boy,” as owners try to cajole their champions to the finish line. Spoiler alert: Not all of these star athletes will make it to the finish line, opting instead to chase a butterfly off the track or spin in circles. But the beautiful chaos of seeing dachshunds try and fail as their owners beg them to run to them makes lasting memories. After all, every dog, even the ones who are athletically-challenged, are good boys at The Great Weiner Race.
Winners advance to the next round, then to the final round where one lone dachshund will be crowned the Great Weiner.
And oh yeah, they’re all wearing hot dog costumes the entire time.
Imperiale says they once brought in a whopping $14,000 in donations to PAWS — a record they hope to break this year.
As in previous years, a portion of the proceeds from food and beverage sales will go directly to PAWS. Sponsored breweries, like Troegs, Cape May and Founders, will provide libations for the evening. Local food trucks like Deke’s BBQ, Humpty Dumplings, and of course, grub from Lucky’s themselves will be available for purchase. Imperiale advises attendees to bring cash or be prepared to use Venmo for donations.
Raffles include items from sponsors and gift cards to local businesses on Main Street in Manayunk. PAWS is even bringing adoption paperwork and a handful of dogs for folks looking to add a member to their family.
Entries are officially closed for hopeful competitors (sorry Airbud, there’s always next year), but Imperiale says bring your dog to join in on the fun anyway. There will be ball pits, bubble machines and lots of pets from neighbors to be had.
Bring a few friends and settle in for a delightfully weird time in Manayunk where the question of the night everyone will be talking about is: Will Odie defend his title?
Lucky’s Great Wiener Race will take place Thursday, October 16 starting at 5:30 at 7 Lock Street. For more information go to Lucky’s Last Chance’s website.
THE CITIZEN LOVES ANIMALS
