A local elementary school music teacher landed tickets to a Red Rocks concert of her choice, thanks to her love of Chicago-style hot dogs.

Denver area resident Amanda Akstins was recently selected as the winner of a contest hosted by Vienna Beef to celebrate its renewed partnership with the venue, according to a press release.

Akstins attended the Aug. 19 Reggae on the Rocks concert where she entered the contest and was randomly chosen as the winner of a $250 Vienna Beef gift certificate and two concert tickets to a 2024 Red Rocks Amphitheatre show of her choice.

“I was very surprised, but super excited to win,” Akstins told the Denver Gazette. “My husband Don is usually the lucky one who wins contests. I already know what I am going to spend the gift card on — Vienna Beef gear, Chicago hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches.”

When asked which concert she would attend in the future, Akstins wouldn’t limit herself to reggae, citing an eclectic love of Chance the Rapper, Peso Pluma and the Colorado Symphony, which also occasionally performs shows at Red Rocks.

A music teacher at Timberline Elementary in Cherry Creek School District, Akstins originally moved to the Denver area from Chicago in 2015 and is a self-expressed lover of the Chicago-style hot dog, sporting a tattoo of the delicacy on her left forearm.

“As a Chicago native, my tattoo represents several things. It shows the love I have for my hometown and my family, my favorite food, and it reminds me of my Grandma Joanne who always told us ‘Never ever put ketchup on a hotdog!’ Akstins explained. “Plus, it’s a reminder that life is fun and everything does not have to be serious.”

Never put ketchup on a hotdog is a battle cry native Chicagoans live by. But for those less familiar, a Chicago-style hot dog is an all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun, originating in the Windy City. The hot dog is topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, bright green sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato slices or wedges, pickled sport peppers and a dash of celery salt. The complete assembly of a Chicago hot dog is said to be “dragged through the garden” due to the many toppings.

Vienna Beef is one of the two largest producers of this style of beef hot dog.

The company will continue to hold contests at Red Rocks at select shows in August and September.