The dipped delicacy is back: Fredericton Lions Club celebrates 60 years making and selling the Dippy Dog

Don’t underestimate it – the battered covered hot dog has punched well above its weight at the Fredericton Exhibition for six decades now.

The dipped delicacy is a mainstay at the “FREX” every year, and is the Fredericton Lions Club’s biggest fundraisers, with all the money raised going back into the community.

While only a select few know the secret ingredient in the batter, the key is that no two “Dippy Dogs” are alike.

“They're not exactly perfect,” said Gary Love, Lions Club secretary. “They'll come out with what we call tails, batter hanging from them, and people seem to love that, so every one is an individual Dippy Dog.”

The Dippy Dog stand at the FREX requires about 60 volunteers throughout the week, serving thousands of the traditional treat.

“We'll sell 20 to 22,000 and some years maybe have gone a little bit higher, but it works out to about a ton-and-a-half of wieners,” Love said.

This year is extra special.

They’re celebrating 60 years with a brand new trailer, built specifically for the Dippy Dog operation.

The trailer was funded by the provincial government’s regional development corporation and by dealership Riverview Ford – so that the club did not have to use any of it’s’ funds meant for the community.

“We’re now ready for years to come,” said Anthony Howland, the club’s vice-president.

The fryer for the Dippy Dogs is seen. (CTV/Laura Brown)The operation is a family affair too – many volunteers represent several generations, and the club says they see repeat customers every year.

During the pandemic, the club decided they’d buy the most expensive hot dogs they could find to treat people during a difficult time.

Sure enough, the die-hards didn’t like that.

“They know if the wieners change and they know even if there's a change in the batter,” said Love.

The batter for the Dippy Dogs is seen being mixed. (CTV/Laura Brown)But it’s that dedication and support, Howland says, that keeps them going.

“That's why we're able to keep doing what we're doing, and it is truly amazing just how long people are willing to wait and how many dogs we're able to sell each year,” he said. “It's become such a staple of, you know, it marks the fall, it marks September, and it marks the exhibition.”

Love adds there’s one more annual tradition: once the FREX ends and the Dippy Dogs are done, he turns to his wife and says it’s okay if he doesn’t see one more hot dog for another year.

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