Evening of events

The Waseca Sleigh and Cutter Festival hosted a dinner, dance, and awards at the Waseca VFW on Feb.17. The dinner, which provided prepacked meals, was hosted between 5-7 p.m. The 2023 Festival began its events in January and will continue through March. Festival President Ken Borgmann, who has been an event leader for 23 years, shared some history: “Seventy-three years ago, local business owners wanted to do something different in the winter rather than sitting around. So they started the festival to get the town involved and it kind of just built from there.” According to Borgmann, the festival endured through the COVID-19 pandemic as the town and festival adapted to ensure everyone’s safety. The turnout for this year’s dinner was “a little small” he said, but noted that this “was expected due to not having the traditional sit-down meal this year. But I think it’s going to pick back up once that band starts playing.” 

Organizing a festival that runs across several months, especially through a blizzard-filled winter season, requires careful planning; Borgman noted that the preparation for the Feb. 17 event, like many for the festival, starts “Pretty much right after the very last event in the [current year’s] festival. It’s a year-long process to plan all of these events.” Borgman has run the festival, according to him, “Twenty-six years for sure, but it’s been closer to about 30…I’ve always been around during the festival and was happy to help when I could.”  When asked about the significance Sleigh and Cutter brings to him and the community, Borgman pondered his answer briefly before stating, “Well, it’s because the business owners around here are so generous with their time and resources. It’s a real privilege giving back to them to show that this is a solid community organization. Having been doing this for so long proves that.” Although hesitant to name a favorite, Borgmann remarked that “even though I missed it this year, I have always enjoyed the pageant. It highlights some of the really exceptional young women in our community, but any of the events I go to are a good time for me.” 

After the dinner, a brief intermission was given as local band GTX began to set up for the dance portion of the night’s proceedings. The band is composed of lead singer Tammy Barnes, lead guitarist and pianist Sheldon Brandt, bass guitar player Shannon Brandt, and Tim Wenniger on drums. The band formed about a year and a half ago; according to Barnes, “We wanted to start something before COVID, but when it hit, we had to hit the pause button. As soon as we were able to, we got the band going.” The band’s passion for music is decades in the making as the Brandt brothers noted, “Our parents were playing in bands throughout our childhoods and we learned to play music at such an early age–it’s pretty much in our blood.” Barnes remarked her choir teacher, Becky Borneke, “inspired me to pursue music as a career and I can’t thank her enough.” 

GTX was recruited to play at the dance because “Ken saw us play in Waterville last summer and approached us about playing tonight. We couldn’t pass up such a great opportunity.” The band plays a variety of country music but dabbles in rock and some “strange choices like ‘Zombie’, ” Barnes said. To start off the night, the band played “God Bless the USA" as the Sleigh and Cutter Pageant Royalty presented flags to honor our country and veterans. The band sparked plenty of action on the dance floor as members of the public busted a move or slow danced with their significant others. 

After the dance, Borgmann returned to the stage to announce the winners of the evening’s awards. He drew names for the “grand prize” drawing which gave winners cash prizes of varying amounts; many of the names drawn were of people not present at the event, but they will receive notice of their cash prize. Additionally, Borgmann drew winners for the “Frosty Award” in which members of the public would guess who was dressed as Frosty the Snowman, an annual tradition for the Sleigh and Cutter Festival. There was a two-way tie for the drawing as two participants, Ed Hain and Sammy Neff, guessed correctly while submitting their choice at the exact same time. Borgmann decided to split the prize in half due to the eerie coincidence. 

It was at this time, Frosty stood at center stage and removed his headpiece to reveal Ben O’Brien of Waseca as the 73rd Frosty the Snowman. O’Brien became involved with his role for the evening due to his years-long acquaintance with Borgmann. “I’ve worked with Ken for a number of years through the school here in Waseca. He is a great ambassador for the county; he called me up to ask about being Frosty this year and I said ‘Absolutely!’” O’Brien was in costume for roughly an hour and when asked about the conditions inside the snowman costume, he chuckled and said, “Well, luckily, the winter breeze makes it a little tolerable to wear at first;  I’ll admit, though, it’s a little warmer than I want it to be.” The Sleigh and Cutter festival continues throughout the month of February and ends on March 25, 2023; the Feb. 17 dinner, dance, and prizes were another great addition to the ongoing tradition for Waseca County.