FrankFest attracts all types with food and fun

The newly renamed FrankFest a hit with locals, providing both cute, and hot, dogs.

FrankFest kicked off last Thursday, at 5:30 p.m. with the “One Mile Doggie Dash.” The dash’s entire course was within the bounds of Maytag Park and welcomed both dogs and their humans, with over 20 pairs participated in the inaugural dash.

“We didn’t have a ton of people sign up for the doggie dash, but hopefully people will be more aware of all we have to offer next year,” Victoria Jordan, a member of the Newton Parks and Recreation staff, said.

After the dash the main event of FrankFest, the Thanks with Franks Hotdog Contest, began.

The contest consisted of a variety of local businesses signing up for a booth, receiving 150 hotdogs, buns, trays, gloves and space at Maytag Park and making the best hotdogs they could. Contestants provided all the seasonings and toppings they liked, as long as they were edible.

Around a dozen business set up their booths to serve hotdogs to the roughly 300 attendees and compete for both the “Top Dog” and “People’s Choice” awards.

DMACC, Capstone, Discover Hope Church, Adapt Health and Newton Retirement Village were just a few of the organizations with booths at the event.

The winner of the “Top Dog” award, which was chosen by a panel of judges, was TPI Composites. TPI is a manufacturer located in Newton that mainly builds blades for windmills.

The winner of the “People’s Choice” award, which was chosen by attendees votes, was Mom’s Meals, a meal delivery service geared towards older customers, based in Ankeny.

Finally, after the Thanks with Franks portion of the event, the organizers began the “Strut Your Mutt” dog show. The show, which was put on by Newton’s Progress Industries, had nearly two dozen participants.

The contestants were competing for three awards. They competed for best trick, best costume and best in show.

The winner of the best trick category was Bebe the black lab. The winner of best costume was Ruby the corgi.

The big winner of best in show was the “Super Pup” Bagheera, a shy mutt that will soon be adoptable at Paws-N-Claws.

The three winners received a six-month supply of homemade dog treats, various pet toys and supplies.

The event raised $2,986 overall. The organizers donated $150 to the Sunset dog park and $200 to Paws-N-Claws, who also participated in FrankFest by bringing several adoptable dogs to the event.

The money from this event will be going towards the Newton parks and recreation fund. Stuff like yoga in the park and exploration weekends will be some of the activities that will use the funding in the next few months.

“I think that both volunteers and attendees had a great time, we received several compliments from people during the event,” Victoria Jordan, a member of the Newton Parks and Recreation staff, said.

Newton Parks and Recreation hopes to host another FrankFest next year at Maytag Park.

“I hope that next year we can get even businesses and community members involved in the event,” Jordan said.