With Bavarian Blast getting closer to the end Sunday, officials looked back at the numbers they had tallied for previous days. Treasurer Dodie Wendinger said they had 950 people Thursday, 2,030 Friday, and 2,425 Saturday.

“Friday was a little down [from last year],” she said. “Saturday was up; they balanced out.”

Wendinger said this was an excellent turnout by their standards. She said no major issues popped up during the weekend and the spray job they did for bugs held up well.

“Very satisfied,” she said. “We had great bunches of volunteers.”

Kids and parents alike have fun with bubbles blown by a Nilson Heating and Air Conditioning van.

Saturday night’s feature band returned to the rock and roll genre after Friday’s country special. From 9-10:30 p.m. Van Halen cover band Balance took to the NUVERA stage and performed a litany of the group’s classics.

To close out the night was The Hype, an all-encompassing rock cover band that returned after leaving a good impression last year. The group performed from 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.

The stein-holding contest was also held Saturday. A men’s and women’s contest are held to find who can hold a stein full of water outstretched in their arm for as long as possible.

Last year’s winners were Paula Thomas and Jeff Kelley. This year there was a repeat and a dethroning.

Thomas outlasted her competitors to maintain her hold as Bavarian Blast’s stein-holding queen. She said she is a major lifter through her work with Springfield Ambulance, regularly handling patients. Thomas said she also carries 50-pound sacks of chicken feed and 12 grandchildren, with one on the way to make her even stronger.

The Just for Kix dance team performs a number during the Bavarian Blast parade Sunday.

Jeff Kelley was ousted from the male title by Adam Dauer. Dauer said he is no stranger to manual labor, as he is a full-time welder and part-time blacksmith. With his victory, Dauer is carrying on something of a family legacy in the competition. His father, Allen Dauer, won six years ago in 2018.

Vendors are also taking stock of everything they experienced from this year’s fair. This includes vendors who were new to the fair this year. Rick’s Wieners co-owner Chad Paulson said they have only been open for less than a year and wanted to bring their fair-friendly foods to Bavarian Blast.

“We noticed the need and were hoping to bring some finger food,” he said. “Get something quick and easy, eat on the run.”

Rick’s Wieners brought out hot dogs with sauerkraut, mini tacos, mini corndogs, fried green beans, and walking tacos. Paulson said walking tacos were the biggest hit.

Looking back on their experience, Paulson said business was slower than normal.

Rick’s Wieners employee Sadie Revering takes Justin Frederickson’s order at Bavarian Blast Sunday

“It may be because there are quite a variety of foods,” he said. “They’re good partners on either side of us. Lola’s and The Corner Pizza. Overall, it was slow but steady.”

There was also plenty of feedback from customers. Paulson said the most common thing he heard was people confused about the token system.

“They’d be hungry and not have any tokens,” he said. “We wouldn’t see them again.”

Paulson said he has attended the blast several times as a patron. Being there as a vendor gave him a new lens to see the event through.

“You realize the different age groups that come out to different nights,” Paulson said. “[There’s also] the overall appreciation of music, being a vendor. It’s a great place to hang out and listen to good live music.”

Sunday opened with the traditional church service at 10 a.m., held by Mollie B and Squeezebox. They covered scripture from both the Old and New Testament as attendees reflected on their experiences at the festival and looked to the lord for guidance.

Afterward was the annual parade. Organizer Renae Sabatino said they had 83 entrants this year, down 22 from last year. She said all of the fan favorites and classics were still there, including musical acts like the Concord Singers and New Ulm Municipal Band. German band Musikverein Herborn-Seelbach also made an appearance.

This year, dark clouds crept in near the end of the parade. Though inclement weather came close to putting a damper, Sabatino said it did not rain on their parade. Thunderstorms would plague the area for a few hours after the parade ended.

“This is the first year it’s rained during the daytime like this that I can remember,” she said.

It got dark enough at points that lights along the walking path turned on. Thankfully the event was not staggered by the weather, as both the Schell’s Stage and Polka Hall stayed nice and dry. Bavarian Blast had its swan song from 7-8:30 p.m., as Johnny Cash tribute band Church of Cash was the last band to perform.