The Fasching holiday, before Lent, brings loaded buses to the Fox Valley, in addition to the locals. Gone are the long-standing outdoor Catholic Mass with polka music, but the polka dancing begins at noon.Īlso in July: the Pretzel Bender, which culminates in a short but lively midnight parade through Johnsonville, a tradition that began over 40 years ago. Unannounced but well known in the area is Johnsonville’s annual Sausage Fest (still on Sundays after Independence Day), when volunteer firefighters and loved ones cook up the region’s classic summer meal: kids, burgers, German potato salad, baked beans. RELATED: Refresh Yourself With These 7 Eastern Wisconsin Custard Spots Mary Burbach, a Laack employee for 20 years, agrees that the crowd tends to be older, although an infusion of young dancers – “in their fifties” – also shows up. Today, the Laack Ballroom is more likely to host a private wedding reception than a public dance (although polka bands still play occasionally on Sunday afternoons). Think of the brassy music of the Big Band (jazz and swing), as well as schottisches and waltzes. Until a few decades ago, Laack’s was on the circuit of regional groups and nationally renowned orchestras (Guy Lombardo, Dick Jurgens, Romy Gosz). Polka lovers know Johnsonville thanks to Laack’s, centennial and fourth-generation, a steakhouse with a basement ballroom. Johnsonville’s name is known the world over for the delicious bratwurst sausages produced there, but only 65 people live there. Welcomes you to the neighborhood, on a road sign, a 4-H club (Johnsonville Hustlers) and a sports club (Johnsonville Rod and Gun). The business and market town are less than a mile from each other (or across the street, if you count the buildings for the smoked meats). All of this would likely fit into the company’s campus, with room to spare. The town, founded in 1846, is of a size not to be missed: a road through, surrounded by agricultural fields. Its population is 65 and you can see the main sausage factory in the city center. Johnsonville – the unincorporated community – is large enough for a volunteer fire department, but not a post office or gas station. Johnsonville, the company, sells its products in at least 45 countries, has 3,000 employees, and lists Sheboygan Falls (nine miles southeast) as an address.
In some of Wisconsin’s more teenage communities, there are good reasons to take a detour and visit.īratwurst enthusiasts know Johnsonville as a giant among sausage makers, but the Sheboygan County company’s territory is much more obscure.
The famous bratwursts come from a small community that might have a smaller population than your last family reunion.
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