'Wiener Race' promises fun, helps animal causes
A gaggle of Dachshunds (also known as "wiener dogs") will convene at the corner of North Church Street and East Center Avenue in downtown Mooresville for the annual Mooresville Wiener Race on Oct. 8. Organized by the Mooresville Downtown Commission and volunteer Tom Kilroe, the wiener race will be entertainment with a purpose. Its mission is to raise money for two nonprofits: Friends of the Animals-Iredell County Inc. and the Humane Society of Iredell County Inc. Kilroe, 59, a retired real estate project manager, lives and owns property in downtown Mooresville. The downtown commission is made up mostly of downtown property owners, and Kilroe said their job is to make sure things are happening there and to inform the public of them. The Halloween Trick-or-Treating and Cruise-In events are examples of the commission's work. The commission also likes to help as many advocates of animals as it can; hence its leadership of the Wiener Race. Mooresville resident Roberta Roberts started the annual Mooresville Wiener Race in 2005. It has been sponsored since then by various animal groups, until the downtown commission took it over this year. When he pulled up a YouTube video of other wiener dog races around the country, animal lover Kilroe said, he understood why they are gaining popularity. "How could you not like them?" he said. Check-in for the race will begins at 9:30 a.m., and the first heat will start at 11 a.m. This year, there is room for 180 Dachshunds to participate. Kilroe said people must register their pets early, as proof of vaccination is required upon registration and there is a $25 entry fee. There are four categories for the dachshunds: puppies (ages 4 months to 1 year) and seniors (dogs age 10 and older) run a 25-foot course, and juniors (ages 1-5) and adults (ages 5-10) run a 35-foot course. Prizes also will be given to the "cutest" and "best dressed" wiener dogs in attendance. Winners of each category will get trophies. Dennis Cowardin, another downtown commission volunteer, will be the "Wiener Screamer," or emcee of the event. Besides the main attraction, vendors will be selling barbecue, funnel cakes, slushies, pet insurance, Scentsy scented candles and more. Vendors donate items or services for a raffle, which is another way the event raises money. The best Mooresville Wiener Race souvenir is the T-shirt, which features artwork commissioned from cartoonist Michael Gallagher. T-shirts can be bought on race day or ordered beforehand. Kilroe is looking forward to the event as another way to bring downtown Mooresville together. He said the downtown commission "is a cohesive group, and a lot of folks roll up their sleeves and pitch in.
Rocky Top now an official money-maker for UT
This weekend the Vols take on the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium. As always, there will be thousands of UT faithful singing "Rocky Top."
For the first time there will be an official link between the university and its long-time theme song. At halftime UT will unveil the first official UT Rocky Top logo.
The university signed a deal with Dane and Del Bryant, the sons of songwriters Boudleaux and Felice Bryant. The musical duo wrote the song in 1967 and the family still owns the rights to Rocky Top.
"The Bryant family has always been great in terms of letting the school and the band play the song," said Dr. Nancy Rutherford, a professor of retail product development at UT. "We met with the Bryants and they were very eager to get this going, really to honor their parents who wrote the song."
Rutherford picked up the first batch of shirts Tuesday afternoon from Bacon and Company in downtown Knoxville while the new logo was being embroidered on dozens of hats.
