WE LOVE THE VALLEY, Part I: Hot Dog Characters

This is the first of an occasional series called “Why We Love The Valley.”

The Valley has character like no other place. The Valley Indy staff hopes to capture some of that character in a series of stories about the people and places that make the Valley a good place to live. Of course, you know the Valley better than us, so e-mail your suggestions to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Hot Dogs!

In the Valley, your hot dogs come with a little personality.

In Derby, hot dogs are served up outside of Superior Court on Elizabeth Street with a smile, and sometimes, a song.

Hot dog vendor Mark Lanzieri often belts out Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett tunes while dabbing mustard and relish on dogs.

Click play on the video below to watch Lanzieri in action last month.

Lanzieri sings professionally when he’s not selling hot dogs. This summer, he combined the two one afternoon with a full blown hot dog stand concert.

In Seymour, hot dog legend Carolyn Schumacher is still going strong with Carolyn’s Weenie Wagon — even after a fire threatened to destroy her hot dog trailer.

The Weenie Wagon is known for its grilled long dog and colorful hand-written notes taped to the outside of the trailer. One bright yellow sign lists the stand’s hours — leaving Sundays closed for “Carolyn Day.”

Schumacher even offered to give free hot dogs to the dozens of firefighters who helped save her wagon from destruction when Housatonic Wire Co. burned on the same property.

View Schumacher in the weeks after fire in the video below.