Does practice make perfect at Volksfest’s famous brat toss? We’ll find out, as a pair of Evansville Living staffers line up Aug. 13 in Germania Maennerchor’s Fest Halle in hopes of taking home the top prize — and bragging rights.
In addition to Evansville Living, eight other teams from local media outlets are participating, with the winner claiming a trophy and a $100 donation from Germania to a charity of their choice. “The competition is intense this year. Many veterans in the mix have participated in or won the Brat Toss before,” says Staff Writer Maggie Valenti. “It’s a little intimidating, but as first-timers, we hope to stun the competition and be victorious. I have faith in our ability, no matter what obstacles stand in our way.” Senior Graphic Designer Sarah Morgason is ready for the challenge, saying, “Everyone loves an underdog story.”
But what actually goes into successfully tossing — and catching — a brat? As newcomers to the annual competition, we had to find out. Follow along as Maggie and Sarah stage a parking lot practice. Their verdict? Tossing a sausage is harder than it looks.
Each Brat Toss team gets six tosses, with each person throwing three and catching three. To practice our technique, we bought a hot dog — not the same weight as a bratwurst, but it’s a start! — and set up in the parking lot outside Evansville Living’s Downtown office. Brat Toss partners are spaced about 50 feet apart. It’s a backward toss, and the person throwing wears a blindfold. The receiver attempts to catch the brat in an apron. Here, Sarah tosses and Maggie catches as they sync their movements. The stifling 90-degree heat and the wind off the Ohio River provided extra challenges.
Maggie has been a regular Volksfest attendee since joining Evansville Living in September 2022, but this is her first time tossing a brat. “Standing backward while throwing definitely will add a challenge to this competition,” she says.
A pro tip from a prior competitor: Throw high, allowing the catcher more time to move into position underneath and better their chance of catching the brat. In this shot, Sarah goes airborne to give her hot dog some lift.
At one point, Sarah ran back into the office proclaiming, “Our wiener exploded!” — meaning, it had impacted the ground enough times that the casing had burst. Since we’d bought only a single dog, we scrambled for a backup and found a hollow, plastic pickleball that definitely does not resemble a bratwurst. “Alas,” Sarah says, “but it’s worth the effort!”
Our Brat Toss practice revealed that Sarah is a good thrower and Maggie is a good catcher. What will happen when the roles are reversed?
See Sarah and Maggie in action when the Media Night Brat Toss kicks off at 7 p.m. Aug. 13 inside Germania Maennerchor’s Fest Halle at 916 N. Fulton Ave. Be sure to arrive by 6 p.m. for the mayor’s ceremonial keg tap.
