From Sidewalk Fun to Beloved Tradition:
How a Kids' Game United a Neighborhood
The World Championship Dainty Contest was introduced to Schnitzelburg in 1971 by George Hauck and his longtime friend Charlie Vettiner and has been held on the last Monday in July ever since. This beloved community institution brings hundreds of people to the corner of Goss Avenue and George Hauck Way every year to see who will be crowned that year’s champion.
There’s even a historical marker on the corner that commemorates Dainty and its Schnitzelburg origins. The game itself is derived from a street game played by children of German immigrants in the 1860s. In 1971, George and Charlie decided to make it an annual event and it’s been a neighborhood tradition for over 50 years.
Dainty starts with a broomstick. The majority of the stick is kept intact, fashioned into a 3’ long bat that is tapered at one end. The dainty is made out of the same stick but is only 5” in length. It is tapered at both ends. The objective of the game is to tap the dainty so it becomes airborne and then WHACK it while it is in mid-air. Whoever hits the dainty the furthest distance wins a trophy and bragging rights while the person whose dainty lands the closest to home plate walks away with a basket of lemons.
Contestants have to be over 45 years old to participate, can only bat with one hand, have only three “strikes” until they’re out, and are not allowed to practice in advance. Donations collected from dainty players are given to the Little Sisters of the Poor, an organization that George volunteered for over 50 years and a place he spent his final years.
George was a fixture of the Dainty Contest. He competed until he was 92 years old. He told WDRB Louisville at that time, “I thought I better quit while I’m ahead.”