Beef-A-Rama, 2012 (A Guest Post by Mommy)

Normally this is a busy but not horribly crowded event in Minocqua, Wisconsin, but this year, thanks to someone getting the UW brass band to open the parade the event was full of "outsiders".  It was so busy they sold out of official t-shirts and I had to get the unofficial one (which frankly was cuter than the official one).  Also there is usually an unpublished theme to the event such as "1960s and 70s TV Shows" or "Through the Eras" which makes it fun for the attendees in the know to try to figure out.  I couldn't find a theme this year, although I suspect it may have been "More Cowbell" since there were an awful lot of them out there and the unofficial t-shirt says, "I got my bell rung at Beef-A-Rama".

Originally this event was "Fish-A-Rama" and it was held right before tourist season started.  They cooked fish on the street and it sounded absolutely horrific, but someone got the clever idea to change it to something that actually smelled good, and that people wanted to eat, and Beef-A-Rama was born.  Then they moved it to the end of the tourist season to try to attract some of the leaf peepers.  The "Rump Roast Run" and the "Calf Mile" (kids' race) start the day's events with the winners being awarded huge raw rump roasts, but the big thing is the main street being taken over for businesses and organizations to cook large rump roasts.  The judges drift through the event and are served samples of the roasts.  The various businesses participating set up elaborate tasting tables for the judges and provide extra entertainment when the judges arrive.

One of the chefs at work

The cow hats were a big thing with the visitors this year

But the big event is the Parade of Beef.  This happens at 2:15 in the afternoon.  The chefs take their roasts, and parade them down the street to Torpy Park where they are sliced up and sold as beef sandwiches.

Beef in a wagon on a plastic tub? Really folks, you could have done better

The Min-Aqua-Bats (a ski show team made up of junior high through college kids) carried their beef on a ski disk

Beef on the front of an ATV, a bit lazy there

Diving club guy walked the parade in flippers

Frisbee golf club hit a hole in one with their presentation

Yup, beef in an outhouse. I wonder who got their sandwiches.

Hawaiian themed beef traveling in style

Cows with a wheelbarrow

Mardi Gras themed team had this guy carry the beef on his head the whole way

Minocqua Winter Park reminds everyone what is coming

My favorite, the Men in Black with their beef dressed up as an alien

I had to add this guy.  He wasn't part of the parade.  He had been drinking down at the bar at the end of town and when the Royal Court float for the High School Seniors came past the bar he hopped on the back and rode down to the Beef-A-Rama beer garden in style.  He hopped off as soon as they reached his destination.

And, for those of you who want more, her is the video from last year's Beef-A-Rama

We left after the parade so I don't have pictures of the beef sandwiches or the party that continues until 8 p.m. when they roll up the streets and send everyone home, or to the local bars to continue the fun until closing.