Claire Allison McGuire

Features Editor

“Kommit eins, kommt alle” to Woosterfest! The 41st annual Woosterfest took place last weekend Sept. 27 and 28 in downtown Wooster. The event, modeled after the traditional German festival of Oktoberfest, drew locals, students and visitors to the city. Woosterfest began in 1983 as a way to celebrate the fall season, offering free entertainment, unique food vendors and activities for “the young and the young at heart,” according to the Woosterfest website.

“The weekend was filled with fun from start to finish,” said Samira Zimmerly, president of the Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the event. “The Chamber enjoys presenting this event each year to bring people to our downtown to show off just how special Wooster truly is.”

One way to connect to the young at heart, of course, is through the stomach and wallet. Small businesses had the chance to sell their products at Woosterfest. Designer dog beds, stuffed animals and jewelry were all available for sale, with over 40 vendors showcasing their products. Both nights featured different artists and bands on the main stage located near ACE Hardware.

Food trucks and vendors lined the streets, providing everything from barbeque and pizza to German classics like schnitzel and bratwurst. At one barbeque station, the theme was udd-erly impressive. Attendees could customize their food using a cow udder sauce dispenser and watch the rotisserie pig spin.

The Pig Mac, a macaroni and cheese dish topped with award-winning pulled pork and barbeque sauce, is a Woosterfest staple. “The Pig Mac is a Midwest classic — so creamy, so cheesy,” Ty Reynolds ’27 said. “I just loved it.” The seventh annual Pig Mac eating competition, sponsored by BG’s Main Event, called for high stakes. Three-year champion Alex Murphy defended his title, winning for the fourth year in a row.

Another iconic tradition is The Sausage Toss at Woosterfest. The Woosterfest website asks competitors to imagine “how far [you can] send a sausage sailing through the sky, while your partner catches it in one piece.” This year’s sausage toss winners were team “Brats are the Wurst,” Matthew Zrebiec and Dennis Ripley. It was the pair’s second year winning.


Perhaps the highlight of Woosterfest was the non-edible dogs. Several wiener dogs (and their owners) came from as close as down the street to as far as Florida to participate in the beloved eighth annual wiener dog race and a dog costume contest.


A special visit from our own dog, Archie, generated some excitement among Woosterfest attendants. The College’s mascot opened the wiener competitions with The College of Wooster cheerleading team. The team also held an activities table and led Wooster locals in games.


Both competitions were split into age categories: Little Smokies (puppy to one year old), Hot Dogs (one to three years old), Bratwursts (three to five years old), Schnitzels (five to eight years old) and Knockwursts (nine years and older). Wiener dog Zero made number one in the race qualifiers, but it was Porter May, six-year wiener race champion, whose paws crossed the finish line first in the finals.


The wiener dog costume contest had even tougher competition. The dogs strutted down the runway, showing off their couture. Many of the dogs were styled to the nines, but Winnie the Pooh, Snow White and Hot Dogs for Sale won the top prizes.


Woosterfest closed after a successful (and slightly rainy) two-day run. You can learn more about Woosterfest or eagerly watch the countdown until the next Woosterfest on https://www.woosterfest.com/.