Final Staff Bio #5

This here is Alex Berger.  He is shamefully behind and really needs to KETCHUP!  He still hasn't answered our staff bio questions, hasn't had time, so I am answering them for him (insert evil grin)!  Maybe this will encourage him to asnwer the questions himself!

UPDATE: Berger thinks I answered all his questions perfectly!!!! I must be a mind reader!!! He only had one change- see favorite brand of hot dog....

Q. Do you remember your first time eating a hot dog?
A: 6 mos old, first solid food!

Q. How many hot dogs do you think you eat each year?

A:  1 Million.......

Q. Do you have a month when you eat more hot dogs that usual?

A. Anytime is a good time.

Q. What is your favorite brand of hot dog?

A. Hebrew Nationals, because they answer to a higher power....

Q. Where is your favorite place to eat hot dogs (home, Costco, baseball game, after a night out, etc)?

A. Park- BBQ Baby!

Q. What are your favorite hot dog toppings?

A. Sauerkraut

Q. What is your favorite hot dog fact?

A.   That hot dog in Spanish is translated as - "Perrito Caliente" . here is how it is translated in other languages:

Italian - "Caldo Cane"
French - "Chien Chaud"
German - "Heisser Hund, or Wurst"
Portugese - "Cachorro Quente"
Swedish - "Korv or Varmkorv"
Norweigan and Danish - "Grillpolser"
Czech - "Park v Rohliku"
Dutch - "Worstjes"
Finnish - "Makkarat"

Q. Why did you decide to be part of the planning committee for WF?

A. Because Bergers and Hot Dogs go together like Peas and Carrots.....

Q. What are you looking forward to the most at WienerFest?

A. Watching girls in the decathlon get covered in mustard!

Q. Please tell us one more thing about you think we the readers would want to know.

A. This is my serious face....

Staff Bio #4

Well, I suppose I can't do staff profiles with out doing on on myself, Katie Brooks.  After all,  WienerFest 2010 is my brainchild.   I am the Co-Founder and Organizer and my husband is the other Co-Founder, because he is the one who put that ridiculous costume on in the first place!  Luv ya' honey!  So here are my answers to the questions:

Q. Do you remember your first time eating a hot dog?

A. Have no idea, was very young, we ate a lot of hot dogs when I was a kid.

Q. How many hot dogs do you think you eat each year?

A: 20 give or take

Q. Do you have a month when you eat more hot dogs that usual?

A. No particular month, but definitely more in the summer.

Q. What is your favorite brand of hot dog?
A. Costco/Kirkland

Q. Where is your favorite place to eat hot dogs (home, Costco, baseball game, after a night out, etc)?
A.  Baseball games for sure!  No major sporting event is complete with out consuming a hot dog!

Q. What are your favorite hot dog toppings?
A. Opposite of my husband- LOTS of Ketchup and a little yellow mustard.

Q. What is your favorite hot dog fact?
A. The world’s biggest hot dog was 1,996 feet long, created by Sara Lee Corp. in honor of the 1996 Olympics.  HOLY CRAP!

Q. Why did you decide to be part of the planning committee for WF?
A. My idea, who else would do it.

Q. What are you looking forward to the most at WienerFest?
A. All of it, the fun, the friends, the family, the mess and of course, eating a hot dog!

Q. Please tell us one more thing about you think we the readers would want to know.
A.  It is actually suprising that I like hot dogs at all.  When my parents seperated when I was young, my dad didn't really know how to cook and we ate hot dogs a LOT.  I am gonna guess 3X/week although I could be exaggerating.  He would put those ball park franks in water and boil them (doesn't sound very appetizing does it?!)  If we didn't have buns, we cut them in half and put them on bread.  On the other hand, on mom's menu constantly was meatloaf (aka beefcake) and for some reason, I HATE meatloaf.  Go figure.

Staff Bio #3- Who's that cute Lil Smokie?!?!

This little munchkin here is Sophie aka Soap Suds.  She is the definition of fun!   WienerFest 2010 just wouldn't be WF with out her.  She is a petitle little thing, so instead of calling her a Weenie like the other's let's just call her our Lil' Smokie! :)

Q. Do you remember your first time eating a hot dog?
A. YUCKY! (she's tatsted them but doesn't like them, only eats the bun).

Q. How many hot dogs do you think you eat each year?
A: Yucky!

Q. Do you have a month when you eat more hot dogs that usual?
A. No, no, no, no NO!

Q. What is your favorite brand of hot dog?
A.  Mommy silly...

Q. Where is your favorite place to eat hot dogs (home, Costco, baseball game, after a night out, etc)?
A. (Costco buns)

Q. What are your favorite hot dog toppings?
A. More ketchup please...(ketchup and bun, that's all she eats)

Q. What is your favorite hot dog fact?
A. Woof

Q. Why did you decide to be part of the planning committee for WF?
A. Daddy do.

Q. What are you looking forward to the most at WienerFest?
A. Slide, swings!  (WF will be at a fun park with kids toys)

Q. Please tell us one more thing about you think we the readers would want to know.
A.  Kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, ahhhhhhhh DIAPER!  (she was making up a song in the car. Her new Hello Kitty doll/toy was dancing...)

Staff Bio #2- One more Weenie!

Today's bio is all about Jeremy Welch, that's right Mr. Hot Dog costume himself!  Check it out...

Q. Do you remember your first time eating a hot dog?
A: No, I don't remember the first time I had a hot dog.

Q. How many hot dogs do you think you eat each year?
A: roughly 20

Q. Do you have a month when you eat more hot dogs that usual?
A. Probably July or August

Q. What is your favorite brand of hot dog?
A. Ball Park I guess, beef hot dogs are the best, although I'll eat any of them.

Q. Where is your favorite place to eat hot dogs (home, Costco, baseball game, after a night out, etc)?
A. At the baseball game.  I like to eat one outside the park and then one when I get in.
Q. What are your favorite hot dog toppings?
A. LOTS of mustard, a little ketchup, sometimes sauerkraut is good and a little chilli cheese dog- yum!  But absolutely NO onions.

Q. What is your favorite hot dog fact?
A.  That someone can eat 60+ hot dogs in 12 minutes at a hot dog eating contest.  That is just ridiculous!

Q. Why did you decide to be part of the planning committee for WF?
A. Cause it's freakin' hillarious!

Q. What are you looking forward to the most at WienerFest?
A. The decathalon, I want to watch people get really messy and make spectacles of themselves over a hot dog costume...and eating a couple of hot dogs.

Q. Please tell us one more thing about you think we the readers would want to know.
A. I also like corn dogs- mmmmm...good!  Oh and I don't like ketchup on them.

Staff Bios- Check these Weenies out!!!

OK, well technically we aren't staff because no one is getting paid to put WienerFest on....in fact, more than anything else we are just hoping to make back what we put in (we don't want WF to put us in the hole and be the reason we take our child out of her gymnastics class or any other social activities!  Poor Sophie!....sniff, sniff, dont' forget to reserve your hot dogs, shirts and buy raffle tickets- wink!)  Anyway, like I said, these folks are more just volunteers.  Bur really lucky ones! Just think about it this way, this is something they can put on their resume as an extra cirricular activity.  Honestly, who wouldn't want to hire someone that had WIENERFEST 2010 on their resume?!?!  An idiot, that's who!  OK, I digress, time to get too it.  Without further ado, here is our first of 5 staff bios:

This lovely lady is Renee DeLong and she is all about the Weeners!  We asked her the following 10 questions and here are her answers:

Q. Do you remember your first time eating a hot dog?
A: No, but I've always loved them.  (I told you, all about the weeners!)

Q. How many hot dogs do you think you eat each year?
A: 5, but if they were fat-free and calorie-free, more like 50.

Q. Do you have a month when you eat more hot dogs that usual?
A. July

Q. What is your favorite brand of hot dog?
A. Hebrew Nationals or Costco Dogs.

Q. Where is your favorite place to eat hot dogs (home, Costco, baseball game, after a night out, etc)?
A.The beach. Although the late night hot dog vendors in Seattle serve up a mean dog. Those things are amazing.

Q. What are your favorite hot dog toppings?
A.  Cream Cheese and Sriracha (Rooster Sauce)!!

Q. What is your favorite hot dog fact?
A. The ones I don't know.

Q. Why did you decide to be part of the planning committee for WF?
A.  There was a decision?? Like, a choice???

Q. What are you looking forward to the most at WienerFest?
A. Watching the decathlon competition and eating at least 3 hot dogs. (uh-oh, that means she'll only have two hot dog left  to eat for the whole year!!!)

Q. Please tell us one more thing about you think we the readers would want to know.
A. I am also a big fan of rainbow chip frosting. Next year we should have an event around that.

Thanks and come back tomorrow for another staff bio.

PRIZES!

Check out the FB fan page for Hot Dog Trivia #5 and the chance to win prizes.  Link on the left!

A little hot dog history

Today, I thought you might enjoy a little hot dog history.  I have read various versions of how the hot dog came to be but this one from the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council seems to date further back then all the rest. 

Dachsunds, Dog Wagons and Other Important Elements of Hot Dog History


Sausage is one of the oldest forms of processed food, having been mentioned in Homer's Odyssey as far back as the 9th Century B.C.

Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, is traditionally credited with originating the frankfurter. However, this claim is disputed by those who assert that the popular sausage - known as a "dachshund" or "little-dog" sausage - was created in the late 1600's by Johann Georghehner, a butcher, living in Coburg, Germany. According to this report, Georghehner later traveled to Frankfurt to promote his new product.
In 1987, the city of Frankfurt celebrated the 500th birthday of the hot dog in that city. It's said that the frankfurter was developed there in 1487, five years before Christopher Columbus set sail for the new world. The people of Vienna (Wien), Austria, point to the term "wiener" to prove their claim as the birthplace of the hot dog.

As it turns out, it is likely that the North American hot dog comes from a widespread common European sausage brought here by butchers of several nationalities. Also in doubt is who first served the dachshund sausage with a roll. One report says a German immigrant sold them, along with milk rolls and sauerkraut, from a push cart in New York City's Bowery during the 1860's. In 1871, Charles Feltman, a German butcher opened up the first Coney Island hot dog stand selling 3,684 dachshund sausages in a milk roll during his first year in business.

The year, 1893, was an important date in hot dog history. In Chicago that year, the Colombian Exposition brought hordes of visitors who consumed large quantities of sausages sold by vendors. People liked this food that was easy to eat, convenient and inexpensive. Hot dog historian Bruce Kraig, Ph.D., retired professor emeritus at Roosevelt University, says the Germans always ate the dachshund sausages with bread. Since the sausage culture is German, it is likely that Germans introduced the practice of eating the dachshund sausages, which we today know as the hot dog, nestled in a bun.

Also in 1893, sausages became the standard fare at baseball parks. This tradition is believed to have been started by a St. Louis bar owner, Chris Von de Ahe, a German immigrant who also owned the St. Louis Browns major league baseball team.
Many hot dog historians chafe at the suggestion that today's hot dog on a bun was introduced during the St. Louis "Louisiana Purchase Exposition" in 1904 by Bavarian concessionaire, Anton Feuchtwanger. As the story goes, he loaned white gloves to his patrons to hold his piping hot sausages and as most of the gloves were not returned, the supply began running low. He reportedly asked his brother-in-law, a baker, for help. The baker improvised long soft rolls that fit the meat - thus inventing the hot dog bun. Kraig says everyone wants to claim the hot dog bun as their own invention, but the most likely scenario is the practice was handed down by German immigrants and gradually became widespread in American culture.

Another story that riles serious hot dog historians is how term "hot dog" came about. Some say the word was coined in 1901 at the New York Polo Grounds on a cold April day. Vendors were hawking hot dogs from portable hot water tanks shouting "They're red hot! Get your dachshund sausages while they're red hot!" A New York Journal sports cartoonist, Tad Dorgan, observed the scene and hastily drew a cartoon of barking dachshund sausages nestled warmly in rolls. Not sure how to spell "dachshund" he simply wrote "hot dog!" The cartoon is said to have been a sensation, thus coining the term "hot dog." However, historians have been unable to find this cartoon, despite Dorgan's enormous body of work and his popularity.

Kraig, and other culinary historians, point to college magazines where the word "hot dog" began appearing in the 1890s. The term was current at Yale in the fall of 1894,when "dog wagons" sold hot dogs at the dorms. The name was a sarcastic comment on the provenance of the meat. References to dachshund sausages and ultimately hot dogs can be traced to German immigrants in the 1800s. These immigrants brought not only sausages to America, but dachshund dogs. The name most likely began as a joke about the Germans' small, long, thin dogs. In fact, even Germans called the frankfurter a "little-dog" or "dachshund" sausage, thus linking the word "dog" to their popular concoction.

WienerFest FAQs

Q: What is WienerFest?


A: WienerFest is a celebration of hot dogs and hot dog costumes! There will be a series of events to participate in, or simply observe and laugh at as well as hot dogs for consumption.



Q: What are the main events?

A: The main event is a decathlon obstacle course competition including riding tricycles, slip n' sliding, getting down and dirty with ketchup and mustard. Other event include a hot dog eating contest, a raffle and hot dogs for general consumption.



Q: When and where will this take place?

A: Sunday, June 6th, 2010 @ 3 pm. The event will be held at Wilcox Park in Lynnwood, WA:

5215 196th Street Southwest

Lynnwood, WA



Q: Is this a family friendly event?

A: Sure is, please bring your family, friends, kids, neighbors, cousins and dogs on a leash.



Q: What if I want to participate in one of the above mentioned events?

A: contact katieannbrooks@gmail.com for a registration form.



Q: Why do I have to be 18 or older to participate?

A: We want the kids to come, but we just don't want to see anyone hurt. There will be some opportunities for audience participation they will LOVE!



Q: Is there a registration deadline?

A: Yes, early bird registration is May 1st, 2010. After May 1st, registration fees go up.



Q: What are the fees?

A: WienerFest Decathlon $15/ppt (include free t-shirt). $21/ppt (includes free t-shirt) oost 5/1/10

Hot Dog Eating Contest- $6/ppt. $9/ppt after 5/1/10.

Both $20/ppt (includes free t-shirt). $26/ppt (includes free t-shirt) after 5/1/10.



Q: If I participate what should I wear?

A: Your clothes will likely get dirty and/or stained, so come prepared for that, otherwise your choice. Some may choose to wear sweats and some might show up in a cape and tights. Also, to participate in the decathlon you are required to bring your own goggles (swim goggles, swim mask, lab goggles, basically anything that will protect your eyes from getting stuff in them).



Q: What if I don't want to participate but just want to watch?

A: Absolutely! We encourage attendance, heckling and audience participation. Simply RSVP so we know how many people to expect.

The inspiration behind it all!

This bad boy right here (referring to the costume, not the man), this is the inspiration behind WienerFest 2010.  Jeremy, my husband, found this costume while working late one night- yes, very random and wierd, but he works for a company that sells everything and so they have everything at hand.  Anyway, he decided to put it on and take a picture of himself just to liven things up.  Me of course being the wonderful wife that I am....decided to post this lovely photo on my Facebook page.  Low and behold a few friends were arguing over which of them "deserved" to have this high quality item/costume- as if either of them deserved it! ;)  So I said, "how about a little friendly competition to win the costume?"  They said, "OK" and that was all the inspiration I needed to decide that there should be some ridiculous  obstacle course race similar, something you might see at a rush event or in that show Double Dare (remember that show) that was focused all around hot dogs.   At that moment, WienerFest 2010 was born!

What more can I tell you?  You likely want to know more about the event and what it entails. Basically, there will be a decathalon obstacle course complete with ketchup and mustard themed challenges, in the end the winner takes home the costume.  There will be other events as well, a raffle for a BBQ themed prize, a hot dog eating contest and possibly a few others that we have in the works.  You can either come and watch as the participants make fools of themselves, or come and make a fool of YOURSELF! :)  Participation is optional and requires a registration form- contact me katieannbrooks@gmail.com to get one.  There will also be hot dogs for consumption, shirts and raffle tickets to buy, etc.  Basically, this is just going to be one fun hot dog party.  Don't worry though if you are a vegetarian, no body has to eat a hot dog and we will likely have veggie options if they are requested.  So there you have it folks, a silly little picture that turned into a silly little idea that is hopefully (cross your fingers) turning into a big event that will be filled with fun. 

The following post will be filled with FAQs, but we also welcome you to contact us with questions.  Also, please become a fan on our Facebook fanpage, link to the left.

Hope to see you there!