For a festival with oomph, don’t miss Heritagefest in New Ulm, Minnesota, the “Little
Germany of the Upper Midwest.” Celebrating its thirty-first year, the fest boasts
sauerkraut wrestling, tours of fabled area attractions, ethnic food and drink, a European
auto rally and a Kinderfest. Nonstop music includes swing, country, ethnic and polka; Tuba
Mania is the fest’s version of a heavy-metal concert.
Adding more German fun are New Ulm’s
six-foot-tall gnomes and the village narren (German for “fool”). The narren, who roam the
grounds in outlandish costumes and wooden masks, are famed for creating revelry. Among the
“town fools” are Uergen the Pickleman, Tillie the Feather Lady and Sepp the Unmusical
Musician. Heritagefest is held during two weekends in July (this year on July 8-10 and
15-17) at the Brown County Fairgrounds.
For details, call (507) 354-8850, or visit heritagefest.org.
