Schedule of festivities Sept. 10-11 in Weyauwega

By Robert Cloud

This year’s Horse and Buggy Days in Weyauwega marks a special occasion for Mary Jane and Jim Baehman.

In addition to being the event’s 60th anniversary, the 2021 Horse and Buggy Days king and queen are the Baehmans.

The event is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Sept. 10-11.

Mary Jane said she first remembers Horse and Buggy Days when she was the local high school Homecoming queen and rode in the Horse and Buggy Days parade.

“They were a combined effort back then,” Baehman said.

She said, “A group of entrepreneurs and people active in the community came up with the idea” to celebrate Weyauwega’s history.

As a former president of the Weyauwega chamber of Commerce, Mary Jane has been an actively involved with organizing the annual event.

Her husband Jim, Weyauwega’s former fire chief, has also been involved in preparing for Horse and Buggy Days.

She describes their work trying to maintain the Horse and Buggy Days’ tradition as a “team effort.”

“I’m more of an extrovert, but he is the guy behind the scenes who gets things organized,” Mary Jane said.

Mary Jane is also president of the Weyauwega Historical Society, which was formed in 2006, shortly after the community’s sesquicentennial.

She said the historical society will “provide artifacts and some explanation of Weyauwega’s history” during Horse and Buggy Days.

Among those artifacts will be the wooden nickels that were once used as souvenirs to promote the event.

“We’re both really proud to be representing Weyauwega this year,” Mary Jane said.

Jim and Amanda Haufschild, who own Haufschilds Brew Haus in Weyauwega, are spearheading efforts for this year’s Horse and Buggy Days.

Event schedule

Horse and Buggy Days officially begins at 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 10, with King and Queen Breakfast, followed by the Baehmans visiting local schools.

At 5 p.m. Friday, city officials and the Weyauwega Area Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony in front of city hall.

From 7-11 p.m. Friday, the country music band Spark Spark Bang will perform in the Main Tent in downtown Weyauwega.

Saturday’s festivities begin at 7 a.m. with a pancake breakfast in the Main Tent. The breakfast runs until 11 a.m.

Old Time Sounds polka band plays from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Main Tent.

Bed races will start at 9 a.m. on Main Street.

Vendors open at 9 a.m. in the south city parking lot.

A moment of recognition for 9/11 is scheduled for 11 a.m.

Participants in the Horse and Buggy Days parade will assemble at 10:30 a.m. at the Waupaca County Fairgrounds on South Elizabeth Street.

The parade starts at noon and will proceed through downtown Weyauwega.

To register for the parade, go to the Horse and Buggy Days Facebook event page.

All horses must have a current Coggins test to participate in the parade.

Pool and dart tournaments are slated to begin at 1 p.m. in the Main Tent.

At 2:30 p.m., the ATV-UTV Club will host a bag tournament on Main Street.

Horse and carriage rides are planned from 1-4 p.m.

Shades of Blooze will play blues rock on the east end of Main Street all afternoon on Saturday.

Saturday afternoon also features games, a cake walk and a pie and ice cream social.

From 7-11 p.m. Saturday, Sixx Gunns Loaded will perform ‘80s rock covers in the Main Tent.