Tuesday, July 20, 2010
20,000 Bratwurst, 100 Weiner Dogs and a Life-Sized Cuckoo Clock Celebrate Germany
220,000 Bratwurst, 100 Weiner Dogs and a Life-Sized Cuckoo Clock Celebrate Germany
30th Annual Germanfest Features New and Old Favorites
MILWAUKEE - July 15, 2010 - Only in Milwaukee is there a festival that serves up 20,000 bratwurst in three days - that's eight Empire State Buildings worth of brats. One of America's largest festivals celebrating the German culture,Milwaukee's Germanfest also dishes out 10,000 pounds of potato salad, 9,000 dumplings and 15,000 pieces of strudel. As if that's not enough, Germanfest's 30th Anniversary Festival offers traditional music, art, drinks, dogs and fireworks every night.
"Milwaukee celebrates its heritage with major ethnic festivals almost every weekend in summer," said VISIT Milwaukee President and CEO, Paul Upchurch. "It's an easy weekend trip to sample the cultures of the world with traditional food, music, dances, art and celebrations."
In celebration of its 30th anniversary, Germanfest is once again featuring its popular glockenspiel. The life-sized cuckoo clock is a fest favorite and is celebrating its own 25th anniversary this year. The glockenspiel is set to go off 11 times throughout the festival.
Local Doxies will train and primp for the fourth annual Dachshund Races and Costume Contest on Sunday. After a "Blessing of the Doxies," competition will be fierce in the Weiner Dog Races, held in five age groups. Then, the tiny dogs will be looking for audience applause and approval from a guest celebrity judge when they look their best in the costume contest.
Seven musical acts directly from Germany are performing throughout the festival grounds all weekend in the German Showcase. For the younger crowd that wants to play music instead of listen to it, children can take harmonica lessons from Hohner, Inc. for free all weekend. Pre-registration is required on the Germanfest website.
As always, Germanfest will feature beer gardens, polkas and a German marketplace. The festival runs Thursday, July 22nd through Sunday, July 25th at Henry W. Maier Festival Park. For details regarding admission, hours and attractions, visit the Germanfest website at www.germanfest.com.
VISIT Milwaukee markets Greater Milwaukee to tourists, convention and meeting planners nationally and internationally and is dedicated to ensuring our guests are warmly welcomed and enjoy an enriching experience in this jewel of theGreat Lakes. VISIT Milwaukee has more than 750 members, including hotels/motels, restaurants, attractions, services and area businesses. Tourism generated $2.3 billion in spending in Greater Milwaukee in 2009 and supported about 58,000 local jobs. The City of Wauwatosa, Frontier Airlines, Potawatomi Bingo Casino and the Wisconsin Center District are strategic partners with VISIT Milwaukee, providing funding support for conventions and tourism programs. For more information call 1-800-554-1448 or visit www.visitmilwaukee.org.
