Sun’s out, Buns out

Oscar Meyer would’ve been proud; Amy Neer has it down to a science. Meyer, who founded the ubiquitous company that bears his name would’ve been amazed to see Newton residents take hot dogs beyond the bun during the annual Thanks with Franks competition, held Thursday night on the square in Newton.

Working her way through the crowd with a tray laden with hot dogs, Neer attends Thanks with Franks every year, and she’s figured out bringing your own tray is the key to success if you want to be able to sample a hot dog from every one of the 30 businesses that participated in the event.

“It’s the only way to do it, I bring my own tray every year, because otherwise you run out of hands,” Neer said.

Neer, who works at TPI Composites, was also volunteering, helping her friends and coworkers build “Wind Dogs” for a line of hungry Newtonians that stretched around the courthouse. The Wind Dog, designed to look like a wind turbine, with 3 slices of cheese, mustard, relish and a single olive was a hit with the crowd, and with Neer.

“It’s my favorite, I’d be a total traitor if I didn’t say that,” Neer said, with a laugh.

Hot dogs are Neer’s favorite, and even when the strange brew of ingredients at Thanks with Franks doesn’t turn out quite right, it’s OK, because she’s still willing to give it a whirl. Several years ago TPI used food coloring to create “green” dogs, but according to Neer, they tasted a lot better than they looked.

“They looked really moldy and disgusting, but I ate them anyways because it’s a hot dog,” Neer said.

Thanks with Franks has become a treasured local event in Newton, drawing big crowds from the community. Organized by the Young Professionals of Jasper County, 30 businesses paid $100 for 200 hot dogs and buns, and compete with one another to see who can come up with the funkiest concoctions. Those 6,000 dogs went fast, and in less than an hour most stands were already empty. This year’s event featured Pizza Dogs, a Mac’N’Cheese Dog, a S’More Dog, a Firehouse Chili Dog and even battered and fried mini hot dogs, called Cornea Dogs.

Dusty Clements, who owns Clements Law, brought their S’More Dog, a hot dog dipped in melted chocolate, rolled in graham cracker crumbs, and then topped off with a marshmallow. Clements, who opened her law practice, 209 N. Second Ave. W. in Newton last year, said she’s been a fan of the event for years. After browsing through Pinterest for ideas, she settled on a dessert dog, a fan favorite at this year’s event.

“Just being a small business owner here in Newton, it’s nice to get involved in the community,” Clements said.

Zach Umsted, vice president of the Young Professionals of Jasper County, announced that Park Centre, 500 First St. N., had claimed another victory with their Breakfast Dog, featuring a bacon wrapped hot dog with a pancake for a bun. The victory means Park Centre will gain free admission to next year’s event.

“We had some really pretty interesting hot dogs this year,” Umsted said.

The downside to organizing the event; Umsted didn’t have a chance to eat a single hot dog before they were all gone.

“I was running around all night, but I saw quite a few that looked really good,” Umsted said.

Contact David Dolmage at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or ddolmage@newtondailynews.com