The Herald-Zeitung

With the smell of smoked sausage and beer in the air, Wurstfest officially began Friday afternoon.

“It’s my pleasure to be here for the 49th annual Wurstfest, the best German festival ever,” said Alex Meixner, a Grammy-nominated accordionist/singer, in front of a crowd of hundreds to kick off the 49th annual Wurstfest in New Braunfels. This is Meixner’s tenth appearance at the festival.

Soon after the opening, he led an impromptu sing-a-long variation of “Ein Prosit,” adding the lines “It’s that time of year again, Wurstfest is here again.”

Mayor Bruce Boyer, current president of Wurstfest, led the crowd in officially kicking off the event. He had the honor of initiating a tradition some carnivores might find sacred — the biting of the sausage.

“Being president of Wurstfest beats being mayor of New Braunfels,” Boyer said.

The Comal Community Band welcomed attendees as they flocked into the Wursthalle, and after the opening ceremonies it was the Cloverleaf Orchestra’s turn to take the stage, the only band that has performed at Wurstfest every year since its inception.

People from all over the state, country and world attended, from Florida to San Diego to Sapporo, Japan.

“She says in Japan, in the city of Sapporo, there is a German festival. They have vendors fly in from Germany, in their central park, and it’s a lot like that,” said Matt Fitsko, translating for his wife, Izumi. The couple was in town visiting from Japan.

Others came from nearby.

“We came up from Corpus Christi because of how wonderful they said it was, and we’re here to partake,” said Diana Masters, attending Wurstfest with her sister-in-law, Mary Lou Masters.

Others had motives beyond sausage and beer.

“We came here to get Lederhosen. We’re going to be Germans for Halloween and for Wurstfest,” said Greg Foster, who is currently working on his master’s in education at Texas State University in San Marcos. “We all love beer and smoked meats.”

Local residents are a given at Wurstfest, as many people in town participate in the festivities somehow. However, more and more people from outside the city limits come to experience this New Braunfels mainstay. Some even decide to move to the area because of Wurstfest and all the people that make it happen.

“This is my first time to come,” said Susanne Thompson, a resident of Helotes. “We just moved back from Florida, my husband and I.”

Thompson said she expects to be moving into a neighborhood off of West Highway 46 soon, and attending Wurstfest is helping her get to know the community better.

“I want to learn about the area where I’m going to be living,” Thompson said.

She said there is not anything in particular she wants or knows to see, but has heard many stories.

“I want to learn about the chicken dance,” she said.