Andre the dachshund is the winning wiener of Oktoberfest Zinzinnati’s 2020 Running of the Wieners.
And just like Oktoberfest moved its massive in-person festival from a large downtown gathering to “In Za Haus” and smaller restaurants and bars, so too did this year’s Running of the Wieners welcome a format change.
Instead of proud pet parents and their dachshunds in dirndls lining up side-by-side at a starting line, the race moved to the virtual realm. Oktoberfest Zinzinnati accepted videos of wieners running in yards, on the sidewalk, anywhere really (except in the street; that’s unsafe) at oktoberfestzinzinnati.com or by using the hashtag #2020runningofthewieners on Instagram.
Fans were able to vote for their favorite doggo online (being the fastest was not a requirement, just the cutest) and the award was handed out during Sunday’s virtual Oktoberfest closing ceremony.
Out of the 32 wieners who had videos posted for fan votes, Andre was top dog. Mini the wiener took third place and Murphy took second.
Andre won a $50 PetSmart gift card, and his owner won a case of Sam Adams Octoberfest beer.
This article appears in The Meaning of Monuments.