New Braunfels Sausage

It began with a brand new Braunfels guy serving their country. Young John Grist ended up being stationed into the Army in Germany into the fall of 1959. Upon returning house to New Braunfels, he informed their parents, Ed and Betty Grist, towards beer, meals and music at Oktoberfest in Germany. Dr. Ed Grist, the local New Braunfels veterinarian and town beef inspector, obviously, brand new most of the sausage makers in town and ended up being hit using idea to possess an equivalent party in brand new Brauntels. And that had been only his concept; an event. As he also understood the beer distributers, he knew, that just like making sausage, suitable ingredients were in position. He mixed in songs as well as in 1961, the very first "Sausage Festival" was held in brand new Braunfels.

All Ed and Betty, both avid dancers, previously expected ended up being they might have a celebration to display the sausage-making history introduced from Germany 116 many years early in the day. 2, 000 men and women turned up with this "party" your Grists had built, which featured songs because of the neighborhood New Braunfels singing clubs and Amtliche Stadt Wurst Kapelle (the state City Sausage Band). This Saturday occasion was preceded by a week of local acitivities that included sausage meals on menus of regional cafes and deals on sausage services and products in regional New Braunfels meat markets and food markets. Site visitors had been attracted by virtually world-wide promotion … there have been component stories with this special gathering in magazines in Canada and Germany, as well as most major urban centers in america.

Sausage Festival site visitors saw females for the Grange demonstrate sausage-making practiced by their particular forebears whom brought their particular dishes to the Texas wilderness which later became New Braunfels. They saw modern-day techniques utilized today, which may have remaining unchanged the mouth-watering tastes of initial dishes. They even saw a remarkable show of classic beef grinders and sausage stuffing devices gathered from attics and basements of the neighborhood of New Braunfels.

The initial 12 months it had been “Sausage Festival” … later on “Wurst Week” … last but not least “WURSTFEST”. At that time, no one in New Braunfels expected the phenomenal success this festival would attain. The very first festival was scheduled for Landa Park, but as a result of harmful weather it was relocated to this new Braunfels nationwide Guard Armory. The second 12 months had been a two-day affair and survived the worst violent storm of the season, a hail and windstorm that blasted New Braunfels and all of Comal County. Held in Landa Park, its site visitors and exhibitors rode out of the storm while ingesting 1, 500 sausage dishes.

The festival moved “bigtime” in ’63, going downtown on Rathskeller (a burned-out Eiben & Fisher emporium basement, today the latest Braunfels Utilities parking area) with an event scheduled every evening of Wurst Week. Tents were erected inside basement and partygoers had to walk-down steps to arrive at the event. As rains emerged during the few days, pumps were introduced to help keep the basement dried out. As people to brand new Braunfels came downtown, they found the whole square full of folks coming and visiting the event.

Around now, in the early years of Wurstfest, some enterprising New Braunfels meat marketplace created the concept of the "pigwich", a sausage sandwich or a pig in a blanket that could be held in a single hand while a beer was held in another. Soon after that, some body developed the thought of placing the sausage on a stick, therefore making it even much easier to drink and eat without the necessity for a table or utensils. A well known rumor has actually it that the first sausage-on-a-stick supplier scoured the lands nightly for leftover sticks to boil and re-use the following night. Dr. Grist, however the employed by the city, placed an instant end to that training!

Attendance in 1964 tripled, reaching 30, 000 and the site visitors used 5, 000 weight of sausage. In 1966, pressure on Rathskeller ended up being so excellent (around 35, 000 attended that year) it became necessary to find a more substantial place in New Braunfels. Over five a great deal of sausage vanished from food booths that 12 months.

WURSTFEST smashed in a unique website in 1967 … 1 / 2 of the current Wursthalle … and attendance jumped to 40, 000. In 1968, the whole Wursthalle, having approximately 33, 000 square feet and chairs for more than 2, 000 individuals, ended up being rented over time for 56, 000 site visitors in the expanded ten-day run.

In 1969, balmy weather condition through the ten days of WURSTFEST contributed to a record attendance of 75, 000. Food served from 48 stands included Wurst Tacos, Sauerkraut Pizzas, Corn in the Cob, Shish-ka-bobs, Wurst-ka-bobs and all sorts of types of sausage.

The event had its first bigtime entertainer in ’68 when Myron Floren of this Lawrence Welk television show found New Braunfels to perform at the event. In 1972, brand new Braunfels got national exposure when a segment of Floren’s overall performance at WURSTFEST was shown from the Lawrence Welk tv show.

Notwithstanding virtually ten days of cold, rainy weather condition in brand new Braunfels, 1974 attendance rose to 150, 000 plus 1975 over 160, 000. In 1974, the Biergarten had been included with brand-new protection facilities and restrooms. In 1975, brand-new gate structures had been included plus 1977 the Wursthalle was painted as well as the tower obtained a unique roof.

1978 ended up being a benchmark 12 months aided by the acquisition of this Dittlinger Feed Mill property, and a sub-lease on some of this LCRA residential property. This tripled the dimensions of the WURSTFEST grounds and entertainment area for 150, 000 visitors to New Braunfels. A grounds entry fee and rigid guidelines, alongside improved services, removed any question the event would continue to be a family group oriented occasion. WURSTFEST in New Braunfels, Tx ended up being listed on the list of top destinations in the world the thirty days of November.

Wurstfest attendance in 1979 climbed to 165, 000 Wurstfesters who purchased 42, 000 Kartoffel Puffers, 22, 000 Shish-ka-bobs, 19, 000 ears of corn, 10, 000 turkey legs and 42 a lot of sausage. In 1980 and 1981 the attendance leveled off to 150, 000, but meals and drink product sales remained at 1979 amounts. In 1981 rainfall caused an attendance drop of 50% on very first Saturday, but returned to normal for the rest of the fest.

Arises from 1979 through 1981 were used for beautification and land development in Landa Park in brand new Braunfels. $120, 000 was allocated to gardening, erosion control and traffic flow improvement during the entry to Landa Park. $600, 000 was invested by WURSTFEST in ’80 and ’81 for erosion control and gardening across the Comal River.

In ’82, WURSTFEST acquired Jerome Nowotny’s “World’s premier Beer Bottle range” composed of over 10, 000 bottles.

Shuttle bus service from regional accommodations and motels had been introduced in 1983 and continues these days.

In ’85, WURSTFEST celebrated its 25th Anniversary with Myron Floren as well as the University of Texas Longhorn Band starting the event. A postal termination was made to commemorate the 25th Anniversary celebration and a temporary postal station was found in the Marktplatz.