[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ith a signature Texan drawl that would make any cowboy jealous, Buda Lions Club member Mike Huckaby provided commentary in a scissor lift in Buda City Park as competitors breezed by.
A standing room only crowd roared with delight as a group of four-legged athletes with names such as Jimmy Dean, Peanut and KissMe scampered their way to the finish line.
For the last 20 years, Buda residents have come to know, and downright expect, the annual Buda Lions Club Country Fair and Wiener Dog Races.
An event that combines the pageantry of the Kentucky Derby and the excitement of NASCAR with dachshunds, animals known for their short stature.
For something that brings in tens of thousands to Buda every year, how it all got started was an exercise in patience.
Digging for the spotlight
Not much can keep longtime Mountain City resident Diane Krejci from attending Buda’s wiener dog races.
Not even a broken fibula and tibia suffered during a home improvement accident, which occurred prior to the 2017 event last weekend.
It’s that kind of determination that allowed Krejci to persuade Buda Lions 20 years ago that holding the wiener dog races was a good idea.
Back in October 1996, Kreicji, who at the time owned an art shop in downtown Buda, remembered receiving a call from her daughter, Susie, who lived in Savannah, GA, who explained in detail about a peculiar event being held there
“She called me and said, ‘Mom, Scarlett was in these wiener dog races and they’re the cutest thing we’ve ever seen. You need to have it in Buda,” Krejci said.
Several months later, during Budafest that same year, Krejci overheard a friend of her daughter talk to a vendor about the demise of a spring event held by the Buda Library.
Talk was also starting to build regarding a country fair, which could be held by the Buda Lions Club on the greenbelt. The fair would include a cook-off as well.
It was at that point Krejci pitched to the Buda Lions the idea of including the wiener dog races in the country fair. They initially didn’t take her seriously and laughed at her suggestion.
After some persuading, and telling Lions she would organize the event, Krejci was given the green light for the races if she found a suitable location. Lions didn’t allow her to use the greenbelt.
Instead, she held the races in a field at Buda City Park.
She soon realized just how lucrative the idea could be.
“All the people who were on the greenbelt and the vendors, they wanted to come down to the park and they wanted to be at the Wiener Dog Races,” Krejci said. “The Lions Club had a party after the event and they had to eat their words.”
Following the success of year one, Kreicji began a crusade to further promote the event the next year.
She got the help of Truck City Ford, which donated $1,000 for the event. Krejci, who at that point needed $200 to underwrite the event, turned to friend Corrine Taylor, who worked at Roy H. Williams Marketing, to inquire about his interest in the Wiener Dog races.
“She called the next day and said Roy would underride the cost and give a $500 championship prize and buy the trophies,” Krejci said.
From there, the event grew in popularity, both locally and regionally.
But the true breakout moment came in 2008 when representatives with CBS Sunday Morning heard about the event and came out to complete a segment on it.
The segment ran in an episode the week following the races. That next year, the races drew 650 dogs from across the nation, which was an increase of 400 participants from the year previous.
“I’m really proud of it,” Kreicji said.
A tail of success
As with many things, the wiener dog races have seen some changes over the years.
One example is the use of the starting gate for the dogs, which came after organizers used a starter’s pistol in the first year.
As one would expect, that method wasn’t very successful. A fence keeping the competitors within the racing lanes was also thought of down the line.
Other additions included the institution of a fee to attend the races, which stirred up some controversy.
Pauline Tom, a Mountain City resident who has attended the races for the past 18 years, said no matter how the event was structured, it’s always something to look forward to.
She recalled how her late dog, BoD, got excited when they made the drive into downtown Buda to the races.
“He knew when racing time was going on,” Tom said. “He was barking when he went into Buda.”
Spreading the word of the event was something many in the community did on a regular basis, Tom said.
“Once you do it, you tell your friends about it,” Tom said.
Austin resident and television anchor Rudy Koski, who has attended the event for the past four years, came to know the races based on stories about the event.
When he rescued his dachshund, Jimmy Dean, four years ago, Koski and his family knew the races couldn’t be passed up. Amy Koski, Rudy’s wife, said the event has become a hobby for their family. Their children, who are now in college, regularly travel back to the area for the races.
But for Koski, the event also is a chance to learn about the importance of the Lions Club and its fundraisers to curb childhood eyesight issues.
“Whether or not Jimmy Dean wins or not, it’s not important. Well, it’s kind of important. But being part of the mission of the Lions Club is really cool,” Koski said.
Today, the event continues to resonate in the community. Thouands pour into Buda from across the nation and even worldwide.
It also lends itself to moments such as marriage proposals, which took place Saturday when Houstonite Patrick Butler popped the question to fiancée Allie Bassine.
Allie, whose family has owned dachshunds for years, learned about the event and pushed Butler to go. Butler said he began the planning process with organizers for the moment.
“I always wanted to come here and I figured it would be a good time to do it,” Bassine said.
Browse and buy photos of the Wiener Dog Races here.
