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The Wurst Story
of New Braunfels
Proclaimed by the Mayor for the first time in 1961, the festival
honoring this most delectable of local foods was a one-day affair
held on Saturday climaxing a week of activity featuring sausage
dishes on menus of local cafes and specials on sausage products in
local meat markets and grocery stores.
The first year it was “Sausage Festival” … later “Wurst
Week” … and finally “WURSTFEST”. What he thought would be
a typical small town festival was conceived by Ed A. Grist, who was
a practicing Veterinarian and City Meat Inspector. At the time, no
one anticipated the phenomenal success this festival would achieve.
The first WURSTFEST drew a crowd of 2,000 sausage-hungry visitors
attracted by literally world-wide publicity … there were feature
stories on this unique celebration in newspapers in Canada and
Germany, as well as most major cities in the United States.
Visitors watched ladies of the Grange demonstrate sausage-making
practiced by their forebears who brought their recipes to the Texas
wilderness from Germany 116 years before. They saw modern methods
used today, which have left unchanged the mouth-watering flavors of
original recipes. They also saw an impressive display of antique
meat grinders and sausage stuffing machines gathered from attics and
basements of the community.
While local German singing clubs sang and the Amtliche Stadt Wurst
Kapelle (official City Sausage Band) played, visitors viewed the
exhibits of local sausage-makers who produced 152 tons of sausage
annually. Production grew as the festival grew.
The first festival was scheduled for Landa Park, but because of
threatening weather it was moved to the National Guard Armory. The
second year was a two-day affair and survived the worst storm of the
year, a hail and windstorm that blasted the county. Held in Landa
Park, its visitors and exhibitors rode out the storm while consuming
1,500 sausage plates.
The festival went “bigtime” in ’63, moving downtown to the
Rathskeller (a burned-out department store basement, now the New
Braunfels Utilities parking lot) with an event scheduled every night
of Wurst Week.
Attendance in ’64 tripled, reaching 30,000 and the visitors consumed
5,000 pounds of sausage. In ’66, the pressure on the Rathskeller was
so great (an estimated 35,000 attended that year) that it became
necessary to move to larger quarters. Over five tons of sausage
disappeared from food booths that year.
WURSTFEST broke in a new site in ’67 … half of the present
Wursthalle … and attendance jumped to 40,000. In ’68, the entire
Wursthalle, having approximately 33,000 square feet and seats for
over 2,000 people, was leased in time for 56,000 visitors in the
expanded ten-day run.
In ’69, balmy weather throughout the ten days of WURSTFEST
contributed to a record attendance of 75,000. Food served from 48
booths included Wurst Tacos, Sauerkraut Pizzas, Corn on the Cob,
Shish-ka-bobs, Wurst-ka-bobs and all kinds of sausage.
The festival had its first bigtime entertainer in ’68 when Myron
Floren of the Lawrence Welk TV show appeared. In ’72, a segment of
Floren’s performance at WURSTFEST was shown on the Lawrence Welk
show.
In spite of almost ten days of cold, rainy weather, 1974 attendance
rose to 150,000 and in ’75 over 160,000. In ’74, the Biergarten was
added along with new security facilities and restrooms. In ’75 new
gate buildings were added and in ’77 the Wursthalle was painted and
the tower received a new roof.
1978 was a benchmark year with the purchase of the Dittlinger Feed
Mill property, and a sub-lease on a portion of the LCRA property.
This tripled the size of the WURSTFEST grounds and entertainment
area for the 150,000 visitors. A grounds admission charge and strict
policies, along with improved facilities, removed any doubt that the
festival would continue to be a family oriented event. WURSTFEST was
listed among the top attractions in the world for the month of
November.
Attendance in ’79 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 tons of sausage.
In ’80 and ’81 the attendance leveled off to 150,000, but food and
beverage sales stayed at ’79 levels. In ’81 rain caused an
attendance drop of 50% on the first Saturday, but returned to normal
for the rest of the fest.
Proceeds from ’79 through ’81 were used for beautification and land
development in Landa Park. $120,000 was spent on landscaping,
erosion control and traffic flow improvement at the entrance to
Landa Park. $600,000 was spent by WURSTFEST in ’80 and ’81 for
erosion control and landscaping along the Comal River.
In ’82, WURSTFEST acquired Jerome Nowotny’s “World’s Largest Beer
Bottle Collection” consisting of over 10,000 bottles.
Shuttle bus service from local hotels and motels was introduced in
’83 and continues today.
In ’85, WURSTFEST celebrated its 25th Anniversary with Myron Floren
and the University of Texas Longhorn Band opening the festival. A
postal cancellation was designed to commemorate the 25th Anniversary
celebration and a temporary postal station was located in the
Marktplatz.
In ’86, WURSTFEST opened its administrative offices on the grounds
in the Kleinehalle building and an information booth was constructed
at the base of the tower to serve the 120,000 visitors. A portion of
the Dittlinger Mill Building housed the first arts and crafts show
on the grounds.
In 1987, larger, clear-span entertainment tents were situated at
each end of the Marktplatz. The size of Das Grosse Zelt (Big Tent)
was doubled, and the new arrangement was well received by the
125,000 visitors to WURSTFEST. A 32 piece brass band from Bonbaden,
Germany, performed to the delight of the crowds and Myron Floren
celebrated his 20th anniversary as featured entertainer. Favorable
weather for nine of the ten days and widespread media coverage
contributed to increased attendance and WURSTFEST was rated in the
top 100 events in North America by the American Bus Association.
The ’88 WURSTFEST drew 135,000 visitors from 48 states, Canada,
Mexico, Germany and other European countries. They were entertained
by a 40 piece brass band from Runkel, West Germany. Unseasonably
warm weather all ten days allowed young ones to enjoy the expanded
children’s area with parents nearby and concessionaires were
delighted with the more than 12% overall increase in sales.
National media attention focused on the ’89 WURSTFEST as the
reunification of Germany began with the opening of the Berlin Wall.
Earlier that week, members of the Texas Accordion Association
gathered … bringing instruments as unique as the individuals
themselves … and joined family members, special guests and hundreds
of faithful fans in a salute to Myron Floren on his birthday.
The ’90 festival introduced the Schorsch Pfeiler Band from Munich,
welcomed four time Grammy Award Winner Jimmy Sturr and his Orchestra
to WURSTFEST for the first time and arranged for Park and Ride
service from San Antonio. Organizers were encouraged by the increase
in attendance and sales on opening day; however, periodic cold, wet
weather slowed attendance overall.
In ’91, the coldest weather of the entire winter season settled in
New Braunfels during the ten day event, but loyal patrons braved the
cold and enjoyed the food, fun and fellowship that this festival is
famous for!
The festival success story continued. In ’92 the Children’s Museum
created a special hands-on exhibit, “Where in the World is Germany?”
in the Landa Recreation Center adjacent to the festival grounds. The
additional charge to enter the Wursthalle was eliminated in ’93.
Weather continued to be a major factor and kept attendance figures
around the 100,000 level. The weather picture for ’94 was a welcome
change from recent years … eight days of mild temperatures and
sunshine brought thousands to the grounds and the highest number of
paid admissions was recorded since 1989. Concession receipts rose
32.5%. ’95 was another good year for the festival.
In ’96 special attention was given to the accessibility and
appearance of the grounds by adding a paved walkway complete with
decorative iron fencing along the water from Gate #1 to the
waterfall, and a decorative facade on the south end of the
Marktplatz. Ten days of ideal weather allowed the ’96 festival to
surpass previous records. In ’97, Floren made his 30th consecutive
annual appearance at WURSTFEST. Access to the north end of the
riverwalk was improved and planning for the development of a
multi-purpose area in the Kleinehalle adjacent to the Biergarten to
display the Nowotny Bottle Collection continued. Fabulous fall
weather and a tremendous line-up of entertainment pushed attendance
upward again in ’97.
1998 was quite a year. On October 17, just thirteen short days prior
to the festival opening, floodwaters devastated New Braunfels. More
than twenty inches of rain caused the Comal and Guadalupe rivers to
rise to levels never recorded before … much of the property along
the Comal River owned by the Wurstfest Association was underwater,
and enhancements to the Gate #1 area completed in ’96 were
destroyed. Festival officials immediately surveyed the damage and
declared the festival would continue as planned.
Many were amused by such optimism, but members and local businesses
pitched in and prepared the grounds for opening day. Those who
attended found it hard to believe that such damage had actually
occurred. Myron Floren visited with his loyal fans by phone from his
home in California as he recuperated from surgery. Die Froehliche
Dorfmusik returned for their second visit to Texas and Wurstfest,
and a progressive young group from New York, Die Schlauberger, made
their first appearance at Wurstfest. Their modern and traditional
alpine music was a marvelous addition to favorite entertainers such
as Jimmy Sturr and his Orchestra, Alpenfest, Sauerkrauts and others.
Rainy weather five out of the ten days slowed attendance, however
organizers declared this festival one of the most successful ever!
Visitors contributed thousands to flood victims and Wurstfest
matched every dollar contributed to flood relief during the month of
November. A total of $50,000 was turned over to the Community
Service Center by the Wurstfest Association to aid local flood
victims.
In ’99 festival patrons enjoyed the finest in Alpine and Bavarian
style entertainment. Clear skies, mild temperatures, good food and a
strong line-up of popular performers proved to be a winning
combination for the 39th annual Wurstfest … the ’99 festival earned
its place in history as the top income producer for the ‘90’s!
2000 … Opening day was reminiscent of the very first sausage
festival in 1961 when storms drove the sausage and sauerkraut from
Landa Park to the National Guard Armory; and it continued to rain
throughout the entire ten days of the 40th annual Wurstfest! But
they came, they ate, sang and danced and had a great time anyway!
The 2001 festival opened with a concert by the Comal Community band
and the first annual Wurstfest Polka Contest. Blessed with fine
weather, outstanding entertainment and great food, the 41st annual
Wurstfest came close to setting new records in attendance and sales.
WURSTFEST was the recipient of a gift of a one-half acre piece of
property on Landa Street from JPMorgan/Chase Bank in 2002 which
allowed the organization to increase patron parking. A portion of
the Jerome Nowotny Bottle Collection was finally put on public
display in “Der Spass Haus.” Rain and cold weather slowed attendance
the first five days, however the final five exceeded attendance and
sales figures from the previous year.
Additions to the Spass Haus, home of the Nowotny Bottle Collection,
were made along with improvements to the north end of the grounds in
2003.
In 2004, the loft in the Spass Haus was completed, providing
additional seating for visitors and display space for more of the
Nowotny Bottle Collection. A state of the art video and sound system
was added to enhance the facility for multi-purpose use.
Improvements to the grounds continued as well.
2005 saw the beginning of significant change in the park area as the
LCRA power plant sold to an Austin developer and plans were
announced to construct loft and garden apartments on the large tract
of land at the entrance to Landa Park. Wurstfest relocated existing
volleyball courts and constructed a 105 space parking lot on
Elizabeth Street for the City of New Braunfels, donated $15,000 to
the McKenna Children’s Museum project and celebrated 45 years of
festival success.
The arts & crafts show moved across the street from the festival
grounds to the Knights of Columbus Hall in 2006 allowing for
expansion; and millions of television viewers got a taste of
Wurstfest when ABC’s Good Morning America Show came to the festival
on Opening Day. More than 3,000 local residents arrived at the
grounds by 5:30 am that morning to participate in the live,
nationwide broadcast.
Wurstfest is a non-profit corporation designed to promote local
commerce, especially through tourism, and preserve the community’s
heritage. It provides a vehicle for local civic organizations to
raise large amounts of money for a wide variety of community
projects. Wurstfest is a special event that visitors can attend,
enjoy themselves, and leave gratified, knowing that their
expenditures will go for worthwhile projects.
Willkommen zum WURSTFEST!
Prosit, und hab' Spasz!
WURSTFEST always starts on the Friday
before the first Monday in November! |
