City Voices

HOT DOG SAFARI

With some adjustments, Worcester Hot Dog Safari returns for ninth year

CRAIG S. SEMON

Even the quest of the ultimate wiener is affected by the coronavirus.

The ninth annual “Worcester Hot Dog Safari” will set frankfurter connoisseurs, at their social distancing leisure, on the trail out to six hot dog establishments in the Worcester area with scorecards in hand.

According to “Worcester Hot Dog Safari” co-creator Tom Mahoney, this year’s hot dog safari will last a full week, from Saturday, Aug. 15, to Saturday, Aug. 22, instead of a jam-packed single day, and the official scorecard will be available online at facebook. com/theworcesterhotdogsafari.

Scorecards will be released a few days before the beginning of the safari for people to print and plan their attack, Mahoney said. The scorecard will be release no later than Aug. 13.

“We will be putting out a program when we put out the scorecards of each place’s hours and locations for the following week,” Mahoney said. “So the safari will start whenever the earliest location opens up.”

Hot dogs are ranked on: the dog itself, the bun, the topping, the presentation and are scored on a 1-10 point system.

“We are happy to announce that we will have six places this year,” Mahoney said. “We were unsure exactly how many we would try and pull off with the pandemic but luckily we have six great spots.”

The six hot dog stops are: Bert’s Breakfast and Lunch and Dudleys Dog’s, both in Uxbridge, On a Roll in Whitinsville, JJ’s Ice Cream Shoppe in Upton, Schultzy’s Place in Sutton and Captain Rons in Worcester.

Last year’s winner, Sully’s Dog Shack, retired from the competition because it has won three years in a row and joins George’s Coney Island in the Hot Dog Safari Hall of Fame.

“Each year’s safari, we try and pick a general area or direction to head in Worcester County,” “This year we have chosen to go down Route 146.”

For people who ordered shirts and bandanas, there will be a “contactless” drive-thru pick-up from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 15 at Ralph’s Chadwick Square Diner.

Hot dog lovers can go to the competitors and send their scorecards via email or text. The email will be 2020Worcesterhotdogsafari@gmail.com. All scorecards must be emailed or texted by 6 p.m. Aug. 22, although organizers say the earlier the better.

Instead of culminating with a big party featuring music and comedy at Ralph’s Chadwick Square Diner, the Worcester Hot Dog Safari will have a prerecorded variety show starting at 6 p.m. Aug. 23, streamed on Youtube, Facebook and Instagram

An “After-party” will be zoomed by the “Worcester Hot Dog Safari” and Wootenanny.

The winner of the “Worcester Hot Dog Safari” will be announced at the end of video stream.

All of the proceeds go to the Worcester County Food Bank.

For updates as the event nears, follow the event on Facebook @ worcesterhotdogsafari and on Ins

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tagram @worcesterhotdogsafari.

FIRST PERSON

Updating my resume, post retirement

JOE FUSCO JR.

It’s somewhat comforting to know that I can retire at the semi-golden age of 66 with full Social Security benefits until our government blows the system up.

However, I would consider reemployment if the following conditions were met in their entirety:

No weekends. No early mornings. No nights;

A commute 20 minutes or shorter;

No job physical enough to cause sweating;

An indoor work-environment at around 65 degrees;

A boss who doesn’t monitor me like a dedicated parole officer;

Conversely, no situation where I am responsible for the well-being of other employees;

Time for a nice lunch and nap;

No fastidious devotion to technology (Kronos, Motus, Yammer, etc.);

Limited multi-tasking;

No political agenda;

A dress code that encourages pajama shorts, fanny packs and Croakies.

I realize the above-mentioned demands are lengthy and somewhat unique but I do possess the following positive character-traits:

Nice voice;

Been told I’m a semi-amusing codger;

Can offer advice or recommendations then move on or follow-up relentlessly;

Fierce loyalty to family and friends;

Always finish every meal;

Have managed to stay married for thirty-three years to a much better person;

Predictable.

Before concluding, I would be remiss in not mentioning an apparent lack of an “empathy” gene and a dearth of “depth” at times.

Otherwise, that’s my resume.

Available for hire …

Joe Fusco Jr. is a poet and humorist who lives in Worcester.

WORCESTERIA

Democracy Dies Down-Ballot

VICTOR D. INFANTE

PRIMARY CONCERNS: I just received my mail-in ballot for the Sept. 1 Democratic Party, and I aside from my ongoing confusion as to why Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy is running against Sen. Edward J. Markey for the U.S. Senate, there’s really not a lot to get excited about, as most everyone is running unopposed. That is, until you get to the bottom of the ballot, where you have the races for Governor’s Council and Register of Pro- bate. There you’ve got some competition. Problem is, most people have only the barest idea what those positions are for, and even less idea who the candidates are.

What does the Governor’s Council do again? According to the state’s website, “The Council meets weekly to record advice and consent on warrants for the state treasury, pardons and commutations, and record- ing advice and consent to gubernatorial appointments such as judges, clerk-magistrates, public administrators, members of the Parole Board, Appellate Tax Board, Industrial Accident Board and Industrial Accident Reviewing Board, notaries, and justices of the peace.” Which actually sounds kind of important. Is it important? As judges aren’t elected in Massachusetts, this would seem to be a massively relevant position to anyone interested in social justice and police reform. That said, the candidates aren’t exactly high profile. The Democratic can- didates are Paul M. DePalo, who also serves on the Worcester Plan- ning Board, and lawyer Padraic Rafferty. The seat is currently vacant, which is probably why there are actually two people running for it. A quick look at Ballotpedia.org shows that most of the seats on the council are running unopposed in the primary, and there are literally no Republi- can candidates listed running. Now, I know the Bay State is often referred to as “the Bluest of the Blue,” but it seems a missed opportunity to not at least give it a try. There are some pretty red parts of this state, especially in Central Mass., and of course, we have a Republican governor. A clue to why the GOP is sitting this one out might have something to do with the contentious appointment of Salim Rodriguez Tabit to the the Superior Court, which, according to State House News Service, saw Councilor Marilyn Devaney exclaiming, “This is a travesty of justice. This was all set up. It’s a set-up. It’s a disgrace. And lieutenant governor (Karyn Polito), you shouldn’t be part of it” when a vote to confirm the candidate was pushed through unduly quickly. “The legacy of this council as a laughing stock is a legacy that Councilor Devaney, in my opinion, you own,” said Oxford Republican Jennie Cais- sie, a general practice attorney, in a later article. She said, “The lack of re- spect that this body gets ... is a reputation that you have developed over a decade and a half as a member of this council.” So … that seems exciting. The next substantive appearance of the council in the Telegram appears to be when Cassie was nominated to the job of Dudley District Court clerk magistrate, the event which has left her seat currently vacant. As to the current contenders, all I can tell is that they’re both in favor of tackling mental health and addiction, workers’ rights and gender-based inequity. It’s like Markey v. Kennedy, with no marketing budget. The only candidates on the ballot more obscure are the two Democrats vying to take on Republican Stephanie Fattman for Register of Probate. James Dolan III is the current Administrative Deputy Assistant of Probate and Family Court, and Kasia Wennerberg is a local lawyer who deals with the court, so they both have skin in the game. Is either a better candidate? Could either take Fattman, whom people have actually heard of, what with all the hubbub about her and her husband, state Sen. Ryan Fattman, running for office simultaneously in 2014? Obviously, her merits and demerits should be considered on their own, but a good story always grabs people’s attention. That gives her a leg up, but that’s beside the point. The point is, these are the sorts of elected positions that invis- ibly affect everyone’s life, and we barely pay attention to them at all. We should really start.