German Block planned for Heritage Festival

The German Block of the Heritage Festival has been celebrating German roots since 2016. Organizer Scott McDole said he and his wife decided after the 2015 Heritage Festival that work was needed to "bring attention to German Heritage." German roots run deep in Tiffin and Seneca County, he said, and his wife, Andrea, was born in Germany. Starting the German Block "is a tribute to her and her family," he said. The 2016 German Block was a two-day event, McDole said, featuring the Toledo Holzhacker Baum dance group, a band and an accordion player, and German food and beer. While the event has evolved over time, he said, planners stay focused on "bringing everything together that's German-related." The 2025 German Block will take place Friday, September 19 and Saturday, September 20, and will feature visitor favorites and new attractions. A Cut Above – Schnitzel & More will provide food, McDole said, and the popular stein-carrying and stein-holding competitions will be a highlight of the block. Stein-carrying competitors will experience a "more challenging" course, with participants required to carry steins for 50 feet, around a barrel, and back to the starting point, McDole said. "The turn makes it more challenging," he said. The winner will receive a dimpled one-liter glass stein, he said, and the runner-up wins a ½-liter glass stein. The mens' event, stein-holding, also will be modified this year, McDole said. The national stein-holding format will be followed, he said, "with really defined rules to make it more competitive." Glass steins will be required and the winner can enter regional and national events, he said. McDole said the barrel role event and bratwurst eating competitions have been eliminated for 2025, and a new event, a bratwurst toss game, will take place instead. Details of that event are coming together, he said. The crème puff eating contest, which began in 2017, will continue this year, with categories for men, women, teens and kids, McDole said, and visitors will enjoy music from Mary's Turbo Accordion Express on Friday and Saturday and the Polka Pirates on Saturday. The Kinderspiel kids' area again will be part of the German Block, with games and other activities for young visitors. McDole said volunteer Danielle Reinhart organizes Kinderspiel, and "has a new game for kids this year." "The kids will like it," he said. Fan-favorite German beer selections will be available at the block, McDole said, with an October Festival Blend, a regular Lager, and local brews highlighted. A German-style Hefeweizen from a California brewery also will be available, he said. The Das Boot drinking competition, which was introduced in the German Block in 2023, will return this year, McDole said, with a one-liter glass boot as a prize for the individual who first finishes their drink without spilling. A wine garden may be added this year as well, he said. McDole expressed gratitude for German Block committee members, including his wife, Andrea, and her sister, Monika, who are the "German connection" for event planning, as well as the contributions of Brenda and Doug Wise and Danielle Reinhart. As planners continue to strive to "not be stagnant," McCole stressed the need for additional participation and volunteers from the community. "It's not a large commitment," he said, and increased assistance lightens the load for current workers. McDole said anyone interested in helping with the German Block can contact him at smcdole72@gmail.com, or reach out via the festival's website, tiffinfestival.com. Volunteers are needed throughout the entire festival, he said.