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Sign up for the wiener dog racesLuverne Hot Dog Night is scheduled for Thursday, July 13th, this year and the popular wiener dog races will again be a part of it.For those lacking in canine knowledge, wiener dogs are really dachshunds.The races will begin at 7 p.m. on Luverne’s Main Street.Entry fee will be $5 per dog, with a two-dog-per-family limit.This will be the third annual wiener dog competition. Last year’s event attracted 54 top-dog wannabes.If you would like to enroll your wiener dog, you can sign up by calling the Luverne Chamber of Commerce at 283-4061 or e-mail them at luvernechamber@iw.net.Of course, the wiener dog races are just one part of the 44th annual Hot Dog Night.Papik Motors will again sponsor the hot dog eating contest, and the winner will be awarded a pre-owned vehicle from Papik’s, guaranteed to run.If you want to enter the contest, you can register at Papik Motors.Free hot dogs will be served beginning at 6 p.m.The rest of the Hot Dog Night schedule looks like this:
5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Live music by Coffey Haus Kids
6:00 p.m Begin serving hot dogs
6:00 Hot Dog eating contest
6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Mini train rides and Ferris wheel
6:15 - 6:45 p.m. Spotlight Dancers
6:30 - 7:15 p.m. Tae-Kwon-Do demonstrations
7:00 p.m. Wiener dog racesBMSP featured in Mpls/St. Paul Magazine"Going Native" is the headline of a six-page article in this month’s edition of Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine.The article, along with a dozen or so photos, promotes the park as a remnant of an ecosystem that spanned thousands of miles all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.In a subheading the magazine says, "Minnesota’s Blue Mounds offer a rare glimpse of our nearly extinct native prairie."Park manager Rick White told the magazine that variation, not uniformity, is what distinguishes the park."It’s a living, dynamic organism with thousands of parts," he told writer Stephanie Xenos."Every two weeks the prairie looks different. Sometimes it’s blue, sometimes it’s purple, sometimes it’s brown, sometimes it’s tan."The transitivity of the prairie is evident throughout spring and summer, but more so in early July when visitors encounter a once-a-year spectacle: the blooming of the prickly pear cactus."Just the fact that cactuses bloom in Minnesota is a big draw."The 1,500-acre park is a piece of only 2 percent of the state of Minnesota that is still prairie.Of those 1,500 acres 500 are used to contain the 100-plus bison.The section also had breakout boxes on "How to get there," "Where to stay," and "Where to eat."Chamber to publish city/county mapThe Luverne Chamber of Commerce is working on a new city/county map.The project, which will be produced locally, will be supported by local advertisers and distributed by local businesses and in newcomer packets.The Chamber plans to have 2,500 copies of the map available.Brittany Vogt, who is working on the project this summer for the Chamber, will be calling on Chamber members who may want to advertise.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com