This year’s Horse & Buggy Days will be a big one for the community.
That’s because it’s the 50th annual event, and the Weyauwega Area Chamber of Commerce has plenty planned to celebrate this milestone, including a Wild West show.
The schedule of activities has something for everyone, and this year’s Horse & Buggy Days king and queen have also been named. They are Gary and Bette Kaminske. They said they are honored to be chosen and look forward to their involvement in this year’s event.
Prior to Horse & Buggy Days, the Kaminskes will visit and talk to elementary students.
On the first night of the event, they will attend a dinner. Saturday’s schedule includes a breakfast, and, of course, the parade.
Weyauwega’s Horse & Buggy Days kicks off at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17, with a fish boil on Main Street. There will also be karaoke and a beer tent.
On Saturday, Sept. 18, there will be a full day of activities, beginning with a 5K run at 8 a.m., followed by a one-mile run at 9 a.m.
The fee to participate in the one-mile run is $7 for children and adults, while the fee for the 5K is $14 for children and adults.
Registrations will be taken up to 7:30 a.m. on the day of the event.
Both events are for walkers, casual joggers and runners, with young children encouraged to participate in the one-mile event with family members.
Saturday’s schedule also includes the following:
• A pancake and sausage breakfast from 8 a.m to 10:30 a.m.
• The Horse & Buggy Days Parade at noon, headlined by the Great Wild West Revue. The Great Wild West Revue, of Malone, Wis., re-creates Wild West shows. The actors tell the history of how the West was won through music, narration and their show. They have performed throughout the country – in parades and at fairs and other events.
• Main Street events and attractions from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Great Wild West Revue will put on a show at 1:30 p.m. on Main Street. Admission is free. There will also be music on Saturday afternoon by Cowboy and the Buffalo Stomp in the beer tent. Admission is free.
• A petting zoo for children, a craft fair, lost art demonstrations, a pictorial history of cheese making at the George Gerold Opera House, children’s games, arcade games, old-time photos, an arm-wrestling contest, tours of the Little Red Schoolhouse and buggy rides – $2 for those age 12 and up – to the Weyauwega cemetery for a cemetery tour. All of these events will also take place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Lots of food – with cheese being a theme in honor and celebration of Weyauwega’s cheesemakers. There will be cheeseburgers, hamburgers, fries, gyros, brats, popcorn, cake, cookies and cheesecake with choices of toppings. There will also be a cakewalk.
• The event ends with karaoke in the beer tent, starting at 5 p.m.
While Bette Kaminske is not a native of Weyauwega, she remembers years ago, visiting Weyauwega with relatives to attend Horse & Buggy Days. “I remember the sidewalks were crowded,” she said.
Her husband grew up in the community and said, “It’s something big. Manawa has the rodeo. Iola has the car show. Weyauwega has Horse & Buggy Days.”