Wurstfest 2015

Wurstfest is my favorite. I love dressing up, I love polka, and I love food. It's the perfect combo. This year we went on the last day and we got there right at opening to beat the crowds. And I'm so glad we did because we got to see Wurstfest at the emptiest I've ever seen it! We just strolled right up to the potato pancake window, and you if you guys know Wurstfest, that's saying something! It was a nice quiet beginning to the day, because it definitely filled up as the day went on!

Brendon formally requested new lederhosen for next year. These are about three or four years old? And honestly, I could definitely make him better ones this go round. Every sewing project I have I say, "This is the last one before that baby comes." Because crawling around on the floor to cut out fabric has gotten difficult to say the least. But I keep making things. So Brendon said, "New lederhosen can be the last thing you make!" Haha. We'll see.

Lookin' extraaa pregnant. Here's my maternity dirndl! It's based off the same one I made for last year. (My perfect dirndl! It was heartbreaking to not get to wear this year.) The only way this one really differs is I added a little width to the front, raised the waistline to more of an empire level, and laced it up with grommets and ribbon instead of buttons. I personally far prefer buttons on dirndls, but I needed a little flexibility. This thing was pretty easy to alter and whip up, and the all fabric only cost me like $17! Clearance everything.

LOOK HOW EMPTY! It was awesome.

These guys were my favorite. We met up with Allen, Brendon's sorta-step-dad, and he insisted we see the Shiner Hobo Band, they're Czech! Allen is super Czech; he was teaching us lots of fun Czech words. He had an awesome word for the afternoon snack you have around three... I wish I could remember it because I am a champion snacker and would utilize the heck out of that word. Anyway, I'd never seen this band before but oh my gosh they were so fun. There's like twenty of them, most of them are pretty old, and they are extra entertaining. The guy playing the trumpet in sunglasses was my favorite. He was just such a badass. They were having a blast up there and they got the crowd super involved. I will absolutely have to find them and see them next year!

Allen and Brendon singing "You Are My Sunshine". The band had the crowd duel between the ladies and the men to see who was loudest. I think the ladies won for sure. We at least sounded better. ;)

We got to catch the tail end of the Polka contest finals! I'd love to enter one year. But I can't even two-step properly much less polka, soooo we'll see. And seriously as we were walking out the gates to go home a polka band in the back tent was playing the Laendler, which is pretty much my favorite. I've never heard it at Wurstfest before. It's the song Maria and Captain von Trapp dance to in the Sound of Music, one of my favorite scenes in the whole movie. Goals: Brendon and I learn that dance! And then win the polka contest.

You're welcome for those last two.

We skedaddled around four when the crowds started getting crazy. Plus we had to drive all the way back to good old Temple! But not before stopping in Austin, in full German gear, for our fix of vegan hippie food. WE MISS YOUR FOOD, AUSTIN! Not that traffic though.

We had a lot of fun at Wurstfest! Hanging with Allen (and AJ for a few minutes before he scampered off with his friend... oh, teenagers! ;)) was really awesome. We ate food, listened to music, and the boys drank lots of beer. A very good Wurstfest experience, as usual. And next year we'll have a little one with us! BABY DIRNDL. I can't wait! :)

Wurstfest blogs since 2011 here! Amazingly, they all look very similar except I age rapidly. Brendon doesn't age at all, jerk.

Wurstfest 2014

Wurstfest 2014, y'all! We went on a Saturday, which is always insane. We've got to quit going on the weekends, FAR too many people. Still, the weather was perfect and we had a great time. They opened a whole new area this year, which made it way bigger! More shops and food and a new stage. Very cool!

We went with my sister and her man Casey, and met my dad and Brendon's little brother AJ there. It's more fun with more people!

My newest dirndl deserves a post of it's own, which it will get. In typical Marie fashion, I finished it the night before. It was a loooong process, but I am very happy with it!

This is a blurry photo, but evidence that Brendon lost the slide race. Those long arms up in the air probably didn't help.

The original food trailer! But really, this trailer has been around forever. Long before food trailers were a thing. And it makes the best funnel cakes ever!

The new stage area is so lovely. It's between historic buildings and the river, definitely my favorite of all the stages! This guy was playing the digital accordion and was fantastic! The next picture is of him playing "sheet music".

He's wearing a sheet. HA! So punny. But really, he was  wearing a sheet and still killed it on the accordion. He's got everything memorized!

It was a good time, as always. I think it's one of my favorite events of the year. And somehow this year we managed to not see a single person we knew. That has never happened! Every year we see people we grew up with, but this year, nope. I don't know whether we really knew no one there or if it was just so busy we didn't come across anyone. Regardless, I'm not mad about it.

Thanks for the good times as always Wurstfest! If you're in the area, you've still got a week to go, so go go go!

Previous Wurstfest adventures over the last few years.

Wurstfest 2013

Yesterday we donned our German gear and went a Wurstin'. Gosh I love Wurstfest! Polka music, abundant greasy food, and people watching galore. Yes please! We went with my mom and my sister and had a blast. Unfortunately there was no 2013 dirndl this year, although I had all kinds of plans for one. Time went by too quickly and as I was finishing up my Halloween costume the night before, there was zero time for a new dirndl. Sad! I sported my 2011 dirndl and my sister rocked my 2012. Yes, they are dated now.

An all lady polka band, rocking out. Respect!

More polka respect, this chica at the end played like, no joke, at least five instruments. Also the guy playing the accordion could yodel like no ones business and the sax player was killing it on some solos.

We finally got Brendon a real German hat! He's wanted one since he was a kid, and it's about time he finally got one. It will hold up a lot better than that cheesy, but cute, "Wurstfest" hat and we can do as the German Texans do and add pins to it every year. We got a cute little 2013 one for this year. 

Here comes the food. We had a funnel cake (heaven!), a sauerkraut pita pocket (two actually), kolache style danishes (good, but they've got nothing on West, TX), and not pictured was the potato pancake (worth the line everytime) that we inhaled. This was my first Wurstfest as a vegetarian and I did just fine. Didn't have a bite of meat. I sure did want some damn sausage though. Brendon may or may not have given in and had a couple bites. Fun fact, my mom worked the funnel cake booth when I was in high school! Band mom duties. Best mom ever!

And for your viewing pleasure, these were Brendon's stockings:

Clearly they are mine, but he rocked the hell out of them. One day you'll have real German socks. And real leather lederhosen. One day.

I had a blast and can't wait until next year to go again! Although I would much rather have gone on a weekday, the weekends get so dang crowded! This was just the first weekend, so if you're around New Braunfels in the next week, go go go! Eat another potato pancake for me.

2012 and 2011 Wurstfest adventures.

Wurstfest 2012 and finished Dirndl 2.0

Saturday after racing over obstacles and through mud, we headed down home to good old New Braunfels and went to Wurstfest with my sister and Brendon's family. It was cray cray. Last year (uhh, look how different/young we look!) it wasn't crowded it at all, but dang it was insane this year. I guess it was probably because we went on a Saturday night, but it got so crowded you literally couldn't walk. When we left it was basically one giant mob inside and there was still a loooong line to get in. Where were all those people going to fit??

But before it got ridiculous we had a grand time hanging with family, drinking beer, and eating German food. And of course we were able to sport our new German gear!

Forgive the obscene use of flash in these photos, it gets dark so quickly now! I also didn't take nearly as many pictures as I would have liked, mainly because there were 300 people all up in your grill at all times and busting out a giant camera didn't seem like a logical plan.

Waiting in the three hour line to get potato pancakes with this crazy dude? Worth it, as always. It was so crowded that we had to go sit by the river to eat our food. There was zero seating anywhere!

 Mysterious Brendon.

Because of the massive amount of people, we stopped by the gazebo in the circle to take a few quick pictures. Although I grew up in this town, I don't think I had ever stepped foot in that gazebo until then!

Brendon got a TON of compliments on his get up. I'm not sure if it's because he's super tall (and a cutie) or what but so many random people kept giving him props. He did look pretty dang good in that lederhosen.

Julie sported my dress from last year, and she made it look good! I was really happy with my new dress. Forgive my ridiculous face and the terrible angle (I need a shorter photographer), but this is seriously the best full shot of this thing. Sad, I know. I've become such a lazy blogger.

Sewing details (preview here)! I used this Simplicity pattern and I altered it a lot. Obviously that is not a dirndl pattern, it's like a hobbit costume or something. I had to get a little creative to make it more like a traditional dirndl. I nixed the original "sleeves" that were attached to the bodice and made it sleeveless. I wore a shirt I already had under it. I shortened the dress and lowered the neckline, scandalous as always, and the original pattern was EXTRA wide in the bodice so I took out about two inches from the middle by cutting it down the center and creating a closure with about 8 hook and eyes. Those hook and eyes sucked so bad sewing in, but they were worth it. I added little ribbon loops so I could lace the yellow ribbon through the bodice and actually use it to make the dress more fitted, the original pattern had the option of sewing on some faux-ribbon-crisscross-action across the bodice. No thank you! I made the apron smaller and shorter, originally I think it was supposed to go all the way around the dress, that thing would have been huge.

It was a lot of fun to sew and pretty easy, even with all the altering. It was refreshing to sew on good old cotton after the craziness of my Snow White costume. Although the cotton I used is really heavy. The skirt is extra extra gathered, turned out pretty bulky. Do overs (aka, the 2013 version): Use a lighter weight fabric for the skirt, taffeta for the bodice (ay, ay, fancy!), longer apron ties (maybe just a big ol' satin ribbon), make a short sleeved shirt to wear under it (we live in Texas after all) and cut the fabric amount for the skirt like in half. Way too much gathering.

And I leave you with this oddness:

A German boy creeping on a German girl with way too much messy hair. Look at all that ridiculous gathering in the back of that dress. Overkill.