'Kraut wrestling wows 'em

Hundreds gather to watch tag-team match at Heritagefest

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Hundreds of curious onlookers were taken by sauerkraut wrestling as crowds surged to the second day of Heritagefest in the warm sunshine Saturday afternoon at the Brown County Fairgrounds.

Many fest-goers walked up to the 15x15 ring of sawdust, sauerkraut, vinegar, dumplings and sausage with straw bales around it all, took a whiff, turned around and said "yah, it's sauerkraut."

Fans cheered on their favorite, Terry "The Crusher" Sveine of New Ulm. He hammed it up with best of them along with his tag-team partner, New Ulm native Sam "Da Bruiser" Raitz who now lives in Elysian.

The pair matched up with New Ulm Chamber of Commerce President Chris "The Killer" Hiller and New Ulm realtor Jeff "Dumpling" Dittrich.

Heritagefest workers drove an all-wheel-drive tractor near the ring, pulling a trailer with large plastic coolers full of hot sauerkraut. They'd carry a cooler into the ring, dump it out, smooth the pile of mush with a garden rake and the pungent odor would waft into the air.

Sveine swaggered into the ring in his cape with a big "C" on the back. He initially wore plastic safety goggles but got rid of them after they became caked with kraut.

Raitz swaggered in, flexed his arm muscles and nodded his head up and down many times. He stuffed handfuls of sauerkraut into his mouth and nodded again. Wearing a jockstrap on his head, he asked for more support in each corner of the ring.

Master of Ceremonies Brian Filzen announced the rules, or rather the fact that there were none.

Hiller jumped into the ring and raised his fist. He quickly drove Sveine into the sauerkraut and tagged off to Dittrich. Sveine tagged off to Raitz. Dittrich rubbed sauerkraut in Raitz' face and hair.

Sveine jumped back in the ring with a squirt bottle of vinegar and began spraying it. Then all four wrestlers were in the ring. A referee dressed in a suit jumped in to try to get rid of two wrestlers and he was hurled into the goo.

Suddenly, Dittrich picked up Raitz and spun him around a little.

Raitz stood up and stuffed a couple sausages down his shorts.

Sveine was getting winded as the match lasted more than 10 minutes.

"It's hard to believe I'm still going considering the shape I'm in," Sveine said.

His back touched the sauerkraut for two seconds but it wasn't enough for a fall. Not long after that, he was counted out and the fight was over.

"I guess it was youth winning out," Dittrich said. "We were a bit winded, but not as much as they were."

Matches continued at 7 and 8 p.m. with participants from New Ulm and as far away as Missouri and Nebraska. Much more sauerkraut was added to the ringer for evening bouts.

Meanwhile, a good mixture of children, teens and adults swarmed to Heritagefest.

The Echoes of St. Peter provided a memorable Big Band sound that had couples in a full-house crowd dancing to tunes like "Take The 'A' Train," and "On Broadway" in the Rosen Tent.

New Ulm's Concord Singers followed with German tunes that had the house clapping in rhythm.

The Bermannorchester Wolmirstedt of Germany had the audience dancing and singing in the Bayerwald Tent.

Rural Sleepy Eye resident Vern Domeier said he and his wife Ladonna particularly enjoyed Bermannorchester.

"They're really, really good," Domeier said. "We've been watching them a lot. Heritagefest keeps getting better and better each year. We're making friends with people from other states. I can tell it's appealing to more younger people this year."

A live auction Saturday night featured 61 items including a free supper and two autographed items with a Minnesota Twins great.

On Sunday, The Parade of Tubas begins at 2 p.m. on the newly-paved fairgrounds midway.

Some 65 tuba players will play together at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the air-conditioned Fest Halle. Tuba Mania includes collegiate musicians that have won national honors on tubas, baritones and euphoniums.

Tuba Mania will be led by New Ulm native Martin Meidl who operates a music store in Lamberton. He terms the event the "Heritagefest version of a heavy metal concert."

Songs will include "America The Beautiful," "The Battle Hymn Of The Republic," "Cuckoo Waltz," other polkas and waltzes and a couple tunes specially written for tubas including "Santa Wants A Tuba For Christmas."

Heritagefests largest Chicken Dance begins at 4 p.m. in the Rosen Tent. The event could set a record for the largest chicken dance. It will include chicken hats and Cooper the Chicken mascot.