The St. Louis area is home to Gateway Motorsports Park, host of INDYCAR and NASCAR auto races.
We also have the Penrose Park Velodrome, which cyclists call “Mr. Bumpy Face” because of its less-than-smooth surface.
And once a year, usually on a Sunday in February, a big race happens at Wiener Stadium.
On Sunday, after the Beggin’ Pet Parade, Soulard Market Park will transform into a hub for the Wiener Dog Derby. Dachshunds will dash down a 30-foot track for prizes and bragging rights as the hottest dogs in Soulard.
“Everybody loves a wiener,” says Katy Lashmett, who founded the race 24 years ago and has organized it since. This year, she hands the leash to new organizers, Mary and Pat McHugh.
“The dogs are a great breed,” Lashmett says. “They’re funny. They’re the hot dogs. They’re the long dogs. It’s hilarious, and I think people just see the humor in it.”
The derby is even open to “Wiener Wannabes” — they just have to be small enough to fit into the starting box. There are age-based classes for the speedy sausages: Cocktail Wieners (up to 4 years old), Hot Dogs (ages 4-8) and Ballpark Franks (8 and up).
During the race and registration and the mock races (known as Yappy Hour), a band called the Alley Mutts entertains the crowd.
“We have a theme,” Lashmett says dryly.
Dachshunds were originally bred to hunt badgers and other burrow-dwelling animals, but for this race, they run toward their cheering owners. Sometimes, they’re focused. Other times, they sniff one another and wander around, Lashmett says.
Her favorite race contestants? A hot dog named Fattie with its own cheering squad wearing “Run, Fattie, run!” T-shirts. A group of owners who dressed their dogs as Crayola crayons and didn’t care if they raced in the wrong age category — they just wanted to race the crayon dogs together. A contestant named Sir Humps-a-Lot with an owner who was absolutely floored when the dog didn’t try to mount anyone or anything on the track that day.
Lashmett got the idea for the race from Miller Lite “Wiener Dog Nationals” commercials. She discussed it with a Mardi Gras organizer who gave her the go-ahead and a $300 budget.
The first derby was held on the parking lot outside Mike & Min’s — a Soulard bar that now is home to Chava’s Mexican Restaurant — with about 50 dachshund contestants.
It was “absolute chaos,” Lashmett recalls. Spectators climbed trees or stood on neighboring rooftops to get a better view.
At one point, her dog, Aries, was lost in the crowd. “They were crowd-surfing her from the back,” she says, as onlookers worked to reunite the pair.
In good weather, the race has attracted more than 400 dogs. In colder years, it’s more like 100 chilly dogs.
Lashmett is looking forward to taking a back seat this year. She plans to race her four-time champion wiener, Boudreaux, in the Ballpark Frank category.
“He’s my Cajun wiener,” she says. “He’s my Mardi Gras dog.”
And if someone wants to take their dog on the race circuit? They can dash to derbies at Oktoberfests in Belleville and St. Charles in the fall and at Wurstfest in Hermann, Mo., in March.
What Beggin’ Pet Parade • When Registration at 10 a.m. Sunday at 12th Street and Allen Avenue; parade at 1 p.m. Sunday • Where Steps off at 12th Street and Allen Avenue, south to Russell Boulevard, east to Ninth Street, north to Lafayette Avenue, east to Eighth Street • How much $10 registration, which benefits Open Door Animal Sanctuary; free to watch • More info stlmardigras.org
What Wiener Dog Derby • When Registration at 10 a.m. Sunday at Ninth Street and Lafayette Avenue; races begin at 2 p.m. Sunday • Where Wiener Stadium, Soulard Market Park • How much $10 to race; free to watch • More info stlmardigras.org