Return to the Frankfort Hotdog Festival

Rooster and I rode our Indian motorcycle to the Frankfort Hotdog Festival in 2019. They canceled the event last year due to Covid. Memories of how the festival was filled with music, food, bouncy houses, fun, and laughter caused us to believe it would be a fun way to spend an overcast Saturday afternoon. So, we loaded our grandkids into Rooster’s Chevy Spark and made our return to the Frankfort Hotdog Festival.

The first thing we saw on our return to the Frankfort Hotdog Festival

I have a weird relationship with the circus. We were too poor for me to attend one when I was a kid. I’ve always had a fascination with the glamor and oddity of these traveling shows. At the height of circus popularity, many of them chose Peru, Indiana, as their winter headquarters. The remnants of what remains of that time still exist in that small Hoosier town in the form of museums and a children’s circus. I’ve written several blogs about circus history in this small Indiana community in the past and an unpublished book titled Circus People.

We saw the apparatuses in the performance of The Cincinnati Circus Company as soon as we walked into the festival. The girls became mesmerized when they noticed a lady twirling a baton with the tips covered in fire. They couldn’t take their eyes off the act when one of the women climbed onto a wheel that lifted her into the air. A second lady hung by a strap as they spun around and did tricks. Rooster said, “I don’t know if this is a good idea. They might try some of this when we get home.” I had to admit he had a valid point. Playing with fire and amateur acrobatics is never a good idea for children or adults above a certain age.  

Photo opportunities on our return to the Frankfort Hotdog Festival

We discovered several fun photo opportunities as we strolled around Frankfort’s town square.

The first stop involved pictures with the ladies of The Cincinnati Circus Company.

Who wouldn’t like to have a photo snapped with a giant walking hotdog?

Wood cutouts the kids could stick their faces into provided a few minutes of entertainment.

The Ultimate Air Dogs on our return to the Frankfort Hotdog Festival

We soon found ourselves walking in the direction of what looked like a giant blue swimming pool set up in the middle of the street. We noticed measurement markers attached to the side. A guy talked into a microphone, telling the audience information about the dog about to make a jump into the water. It appeared a competition was taking place to see which dog could project themselves the furthest to retrieve a squeaky toy. Metal stands attached to the side of the pool gave children to stand and watch the event. The dogs hit the water, and they splashed the kids. The girls loved this event.

Winding down our return to the Frankfort Hotdog Festival

We hung around waiting for the Border Collie show. Rooster and I had seen these dogs perform on our previous visit. Once the show began, it became obvious these dogs took a year off training during Covid lockdown. The first dog couldn’t catch a Frisby to save his life. A minute into the show, two of the dogs got into a fight. This dog argument upset the girls. They didn’t want to hang around Frankfort’s courthouse square any longer. We visited several of the vendors before we left and bought bows and clown noses. A pizza party at my kitchen table ended our day. We were all hungry, tired, and happy we made a return to the Frankfort Hotdog Festival.

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

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