By Lori EhdeWiener dog races will steal the show at Luverne’s 42nd Annual Hot Dog Night on Main Street today.As of press time, 20 short-legged, long-bodied pooches were signed up to race during Luverne’s famed citywide grill-out.Greg Leuthold was one Chamber Board member who takes partial credit for the races, which are attracting entrants from the tri-state area."We wanted to see if we could come up with something fun and different to change things up a bit," Leuthold said.He said one of the board members recalled seeing something similar on a cable TV show. "We thought, why not try it?" Leuthold said.Race time will be 7 p.m. in front of City Hall.Orange snow fencing will line the 20-yard stretch, and each dog will be accompanied by two humans — one to hold them at the starting line, and the another at the finish line to coax them to the end.Sets of four or five dogs will race in heats, with the heat winners competing in a championship race. The prize will be a trophy, designed by Terry’s Trophies, depicting a wiener dog.There is no entry fee to participate.Another big attraction at Hot Dog Night this year will be a hot dog eating contest at Papik Motors.Hot dog eaters will sign up prior to the 6:30 start time, and a maximum of 10 will be allowed in the contest. If more are interested, names will be drawn to determine who gets to participate.According to Gretchen Papik, the plan is to time eaters for seven minutes and the one who gobbles the most hot dogs in that time is the winner."It’s our first year of doing it, so we’ll see how it goes," Papik said. "We hope we have a good turnout."There is no entry fee, and a Papik Motors Hot Dog Eating Champ t-shirt will go to the winner.Other Main Street activity tonight will include a Spotlight Dancers performance, Tae Kwon Do demonstration, mini train rides and music by Audience of One.The shaded front lawns of the Carnegie Cultural Center and Hinkly House Museum will again be the site of classic Hot Dog Night entertainment tonight.The local group, Country Grass, formerly known as Heartland Prairie Band, will play at the Carnegie from 6 to 7:30 p.m., and 4-H members will perform their annual Fashion Revue on the front steps of the Hinkly House starting at 7 p.m.Hot Dog Night in Luverne was organized 42 years ago by Chamber members as a way to express their appreciation to the community for doing business with them through the years.Merchants typically grill more than 10,000 hot dogs and serve 300 gallons of drink starting at 6 p.m.The Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce can be reached at 283-4061.