56th Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival kicks off Thursday traditional 'Running of the Bratwurst"
Brattie time has returned for a 56th year.
The 2023 Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival officially begins Thursday morning with the theme "Brattie Remembers Old Friends."
The event runs through Saturday night. Roads will be open again by Sunday morning.
The festival will begin with the ceremonial "Running of the Bratwurst" at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Wyandotte Mutual Insurance Stage on West Rensselaer Street, according to Kevin Myers, the festival's director.
Carrying the prized first bratwurst of the year — hot off the grill — will be Doug Foght.
"He will run it down the street in similar fashion to his grandfather, Boyd Long," Myer said. "This year, he'll be escorted by a special guest that will be introduced to the world during the Boyd Long Opening Ceremony, and that's all I can say for a teaser."
'The first chairs were out Saturday'
As always, there will be two other stages used during this year's festival: the FC Bank Stage behind the bank on Mansfield Street and the Schines Art Park Stage in the park off Warren Street.
Music, contests and other entertainment will take place from 11 a.m. to well past dark during all three days of the festival.
The first parade of the weekend begins 7 p.m. Thursday.
The parade route begins at Mary Street and runs south along Sandusky Avenue until it reaches city hall near Charles Street.
"We're one of the few festivals that we are aware of in the state that has a parade every day of their festival," Myers said.
The parades run again 7 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday.
As of Tuesday morning, seating was already limited.
"We noticed the first chairs were out Saturday," Myers said.
Royalty to be named 8 p.m. Thursday
Royalty for the 2023 Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival has already been chosen, but their identities are still a secret.
Contestants for the queen, princess and junior princess pageants will gather at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Wyandot Mutual Insurance Stage for the awards ceremony.
"The pageant was moved to the Saturday prior to the festival really to accommodate the families of the contestants as well as to for ease of getting out-of-town judges," Myers explained.
Nobody affiliated with the festival ever gets to see the judges' scores.
"We feel that within a small community, we all know each other," Myers said. "To give the absolute most fair shot to every single participant, none of the judges are from here in the county."
The judges don't even get to discuss the scores with one another when the final tally is determined.
"That was done by an independent auditor that's not affiliated with our festival," Myers said. "The judges put the score sheets in a locked box and they go straight to the independent auditor. The independent auditor certified the results and they're in a sealed envelope that will be opened on stage."
'100,000 to150,000 estimated for the weekend'
Memorabilia is available for purchase, including during the stein auction at 8 p.m. Saturday in the art park.
Several contests will be open to the public during the festival. Those include the men's legs contest, a creampuff eating contest and even a pretty baby contest. A full schedule is available online at BucyrusBratwurstFestival.com.
Visitors should note that there is no central parking area and that motorists will occasionally need to search around town for a place to park their vehicle.
The sooner the arrival, the easier it will be to navigate to to the fun and the food. Each day will draw at least 35,000 visitors.
"We had the State of Ohio Department of Homeland Security give us some estimates several years ago," Myers said. "It's hanging right in that 100,000 to150,000 estimated for the weekend."
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This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: 'Running of the Bratwurst' to start 56th Bratwurst Festival Thursday
