What is a Cutter?
I
f you were curious as to what a cutter was, Sleigh and Cutter Association President Ken Borgmann has your answers. “A sleigh is a bigger unit and is usually pulled by two horses, and has two runners on each side,” he said. “A runner is what the sled is.” The main difference between a sleigh and cutter, Borgmann said, is that “a cutter has two runners, and a sleigh has four.” Waseca Sleigh & Cutter Festival paradegoers can expect to see a variety of sleighs, cutters and even bobsleds this year. Borgmann said bobsleds were traditionally used to haul equipment. “Back in the old days, they hauled wood with it,” he said. “It’s a working unit.” Many of the sleighs seen at the festival may have wheels on them, since riders come prepared in case there isn’t any snow. According to Borgmann, “the training of the horses takes a different talent and a different horse to be able to pull a wagon, a buggy, a sleigh, or a cutter.”
The festival features various outdoor winter activities from curling and ice harvesting and sculpting, to a polar plunge, live music and a medallion hunt. “My first thing that I really tried to do 17 years ago was to get Frosty back to the festival,” Borgmann said. “Frosty is a secret identity person that they put clues in the paper and the radio and they try to guess who that person is. That and the medallion hunt have gone from a few hundred dollars to having cash prizes of $1,500 each.” Attendance for the event has also grown. “We did an attendance study two years ago,” said Borgmann. “We had over 9,000 people attend the different events. Some events may just have a few dozen or 50 or 100, and that is successful for them.” The parade, however, is the festival’s largest single event, with more than 2,000 people in attendance. “What is unique about the parade is that it’s just for animal powered units,” Borgmann said. “We don’t allow tractors or trucks or fire engines.” The event draws visitors from various communities in southern Minnesota, including Janesville, New Richland, Owatonna and Mankato, as well as guests form northern Wisconsin and Iowa. “We get downtown filled with spectators, over a couple hundred horses in the parade,” Roemhildt said. Although this year’s even hasn’t run its course, Roemhildt said organizers are already starting to plan for next year’s festival. “We don’t do it because of the hours involved, we want to do this for the community,” he said. M
Sleigh & Cutter highlights Jan. 31 through Feb. 22, and March 22 For a complete list of the events, sponsors and additional details, please visit http://sleighandcutter.org Feb. 5:
Old Fashioned Ice Harvest by Clear Lake Park. Free to area schools and the public, 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact program@ historical.waseca.mn.us to register.
Feb. 5-7: Ice Sculpting in downtown Waseca at Gallagher Square, south of the Waseca County Courthouse. Feb. 7:
Sleigh & Cutter Dinner at the Waseca VFW Club, 5-7:30 p.m.; $12.00 tickets available from any Sleigh & Cutter member or at the door.
Feb. 7:
Free dance at the Waseca VFW Club, featuring Chris Brooks and the Silver City Boys, 8:30 p.m. to close. Winners of the 17th Annual Frosty and Medallion Contests will be announced at 9:30 p.m.
Feb. 8:
Sleigh & Cutter Parade. Starts at noon from the Waseca County Fairgrounds and runs through downtown Waseca.
Feb. 8:
Kruger Memorial Vintage Snowmobile Race and Time Trials on Clear Lake by The Boat House Grill & Bar; registration is 8-10:30 a.m., race starts at 11 a.m. Contact Tony Kruger 507-461-0177 or www. wasecavintageicedrags.com.
Feb. 8:
6th Annual Sleigh & Cutter Ice Curling Bonspiel, curling on Clear Lake by the Boat House Grill & Bar; 8 a.m. For details, visit www.wasecacurling.org
Feb. 15:
11th Annual Diabetes Golf Tournament, Boat House Grill & Bar, 9 a.m.
Feb. 15:
MN Skydivers Jump, 11 a.m. Visit www.mnskydive.com for more information.
Feb. 15:
Waseca County Family Snowmobile Ride, Boat House Grill & Bar, 10 a.m.
Feb. 16:
Free Family Put-Put Golf Event
Feb. 22:
Waldorf Vintage Snowmobile Run, noon, 7806 250th Avenue, New Richland
March 22: 10th Annual Sleigh & Cutter Children’s Dream Catcher fundraiser for terminally ill children in the Waseca area. 2 p.m. MANKATO MAGAZINE • february 2014 • 21