BUCYRUS — The 52nd Bratwurst Festival kicks off Thursday and there will be plenty of entertainment for people of all ages.
New this year are helicopter rides by Intrepid Helicopters. The rides will last approximately five minutes and will give festival goers a birds-eye view of the event. They will be offered Thursday and Friday from 3 p.m. to sunset.
“The helicopter will take off and land from Harmon Field on Lane Street,” said Kevin Myers, Bratwurst Festival assistant director.
The cost to ride is $40 per person and the weight limit is 275 pounds per person with as many as three passengers. The total weight limit is 600 pounds per ride.
Myers said the FC Bank Stage once again will be in action Friday and Saturday evenings.
“Friday’s band is Rock This Way from Newark, Ohio,” Myers said. “Playing classic rock, you will be taken on a journey with some of your favorite songs from the 80’s and 90’s.”
On Saturday, Crawford County-based band, the Cellar Dwellers, will open for the Smokin Ham Band – a very talented group of country musicians from Kenton, that plays the likes of Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and more.
“United in Harmony closes out the festival on Saturday evening on the Wyandot Mutual Insurance Stage,” Myers said.
There are several staples of entertainment returning for 2019, including Ken & Mary’s Turbo Accordion Express, Mike & Larry, and Richard Wiener – all three acts with Bavarian themed accordion music. Also returning for their third year is the Erik Gimbel Orchestra, who replaced local favorite, the John Kennedy Orchestra, after playing the first 49 festivals. Uke 3, a local group of young ladies returns for their third year as well, playing all three days.
Ella Hoover, daughter of Matt and Anne Hoover, will make her Bratwurst Festival debut on the Schines Art Park stage Thursday evening. Also appearing on the Schines Art Park Stage is The Cellar Chicks – the female half of the Cellar Dwellers – playing their acoustic set. The Polka Pirates also return for their third season with the festival at 4 p.m. on Friday.
A Bratwurst Festival tradition is the annual stein auction that will be Friday at the Schines Art Park and will feature several steins, as well as mini-stein No. 1, and buttons No. 1 and No. 52 (for the 52nd Bratwurst Festival).
“Not only are we featuring the 2019 steins and buttons, this year we have added a 55-inch wooden flag from Andrew Rush that is simple breath-taking,” Bratwurst Festival Board of Directors President Amanda Myers said.
To view the steins or flag ahead of the auction, visit the Bratwurst Festival Souvenir and Gift Shop, located at 330 S. Sandusky Ave.
“We have completely redone our gift shop this year,” Amanda Myers said. “We have increased our inventory of items to several styles of t-shirts, hats, can koozies, dog tags, mini-garden flags and more. There is something here for everybody.”
Kevin Myers said there are plenty of contests, as always.
“New this year, in addition to the normal eating contests, is the watermelon eating and seed spitting contest,” Kevin Myers said. “There is also a 5k Color Fun Run that starts and ends at Bucyrus High School, running right through the festival grounds. Registration for the run begins at 8 a.m. at the high school.”
There are still several areas the festival committee is asking for volunteers to help to have a safe and successful festival. From manning an information booth to helping pick up trash, helping with the 5k, or many other areas – as well as for a full schedule of events – visit the festival’s website at bucyrusbratwurstfestival.com.