By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com

With Mayor Roger Moore taking on the role of auctioneer the annual stein auction was held Saturday to benefit the Queen’s Scholarship.

The first of the eight steins made in Germany purchased by Randy’s Tire and Auto Repair at the auction for $400.

Laurie Scheffler representing Randy’s Tire explained why they purchased stein number one.

“I guess truthfully because nobody was bidding on it, so we wanted to help give money to the scholarship fund, and our granddaughter is also the princess,” Scheffler said.

Steins weren’t the only the thing sold auction however as Bratwurst Festival novelty items went on the block including the official magnet, toothpick holder, coin, and button with the serial number of 1.

Joe Kennedy, who was a past Bratwurst Festival Committee president, purchased the Bratwurst Festival button for $275.

“I started collecting the buttons in 1982 or 1983 when they first came out,” Kennedy said. “Since then I have collected every Bratwurst Festival number one button.”

Some items at the stein auction were bought and sold twice with winners of the first auction immediately donating the stein back for re-auction after purchasing their stein.

Larry Fruth donated the number one magnet, the number six stein as well as artwork.

“We donated the items back to help with the scholarship,” Fruth said. “Everything we purchased we donated, some we donated back to the auction. We came to donate today.”

Prior to the auction the parade awards for the 2013 Bratwurst Festival were handed out. With Zornes Auction Factory receiving best float in the parade. The first place float for Saturday’s parade went to Biblewalk.  Buckeye Central took home first place for best high school marching band.

Sandwiched in between the parade awards and the stein auction was a performance by the Franz Klaber Orchestra. Also known as the Klaberheads the band was started in 1930, and performed a mainly oompah polka set with a cover of Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, but with lyrics changed, it was rechristened The Bratwurst Fest. The Klaborheads finished their set with a parody rendition of the Brady Bunch which explained the history of the band.