Staff photo by Clay Schuldt The gate to the 35th Bock Fest stands ready for Saturday’s celebration, which is returning after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NEW ULM — The gate on Schell’s Road is in place and stages are set for the return of Bock Fest.

Schell’s employees were hard at work Friday readying the brewery grounds for Saturday’s Bock Fest celebration. This will be the 35th Bock Fest celebration held at Schell’s, but it will be the first Bock Fest in two years.

The last Bock Fest was held in early March 2020, days before the majority of the country entered a lockdown to prevent the spread of the COVID pandemic.

The 2020 Bock Fest was one of the last large public gatherings in Minnesota before the pandemic. It also had one of the highest turnouts with an estimate of 6,200 guests attending.

The cancellation of Bock Fest in 2021 was a disappointment for Schell’s Brewery, but they are excited for the event to return.

Ted Marti said it feels good to have the festival again.

The only concern this year is the weather. Saturday’s forecast calls for rain in the early morning.

This would not be the first time Bock Fest has been hit by extreme weather. Several past Bock Fests were held in extreme cold as well as extreme warmth, but Marti said the rain would be a first for Bock Fest. The event will continue, rain or shine, but umbrellas are recommended.

Marti said there will be a few new additions this year. The bock hunt will be held again but in a scaled-down fashion. The bock hunt could not be held in 2020 because the trail system where the seven wooden bock heads were hidden was flooded by the Cottonwood River.

There is no flooding to worry about this year, but the trail system is extremely icy and hard to navigate. The bocks will be hidden on flatter ground for this year’s hunt.

Several new beers will be available this year, including No Frills German-Style Pilsner, Moon Drift IPA, Seltzers and Jasmin Rice Lager. In the specialty area, sour beers will also be available.

Traditional food and music will all be returning to the festival.

Gates open at 10:30 a.m. for advance ticket holders. At 11 a.m. the gate opens for cash purchases. The first keg will be tapped at 11 a.m.

Gates close at 4:30 p.m.