Bijan Khaghani ’23 enjoying a Market Dog.
Drew Sutherland ’25 has a soft spot for Kenyon’s many community-building traditions, from First-Year Sing to Peircegiving. And he’s working to add another: Market Dog Day.
A celebration of the Village Market’s famous frankfurters, the inaugural Market Dog Day was held in 2023, when more than 400 savory sausages were sold at their original price of 50 cents for a single day.
“It was so much fun,” Sutherland recalled. “We would walk in with $6 and leave with a big cardboard box full of 12 hot dogs that we would walk down the street with.”
Remembering the excitement in the air and the sense of community that blossomed in the lines that at times extended out the door, Sutherland, who serves as Student Council’s vice president for student life, resolved to bring back the event.
So, hot dog lovers, rejoice: Market Dog Day will return Dec. 11.
Sutherland, who said he has gotten enthusiastic help in planning and preparations from Student Council’s student life committee, said he sees Market Dog Days as a way to strengthen the bonds between students as well as those with faculty, staff and Gambier residents who join in the fun.
“Events like this bring everyone together,” he said. “You get people in line waiting for five, 10 minutes talking to each other.”
This year’s participants will receive more than just all-beef Nathan’s hot dogs at a steep discount from their normal price of $2; there will be commemorative stickers and a raffle as well.
Market Dog Day was dreamed up by Bijan Khaghani ’23, who recalls the countless times the hot dogs appeared in his Kenyon journey and how it brought him closer to some of his peers. Now a paralegal in New York City, he said he was overjoyed at the positive response that his idea — supported by the College and Village Market owners Betsy and Nick Jones — received in 2023.
“The event itself was phenomenal. I did not expect as many people to show up as they did. And the best part about it was it wasn’t just Kenyon students; it was members of the community who remembered the Market Dog being at that price,” he said. “It was a really beautiful moment.”
Celestino Limas, vice president for student affairs, said student work to bring back Market Dog Days is a reflection of just how much they embrace the notion of community.
“I have always been impressed with how important community is to our students as they appreciate the bonds they have with each other immensely. Market Dog Day is a uniquely Kenyon tradition, and the way our students value the relationship we have with the Village makes me proud to walk alongside them each day.”
Betsy Jones, co-owner of the Village Market for two years now, said she’s excited to have another student-initiated Market Dog Day on the books.
“Hopefully we can keep this tradition going,” she said “Anytime that we have the store full of students, I love seeing us all together and gathering for something that’s a fun event.”
