After his passing in August of last year, a local group is honoring Wayne Breitbarth by hosting a bockfest at the Waseca American Legion on Saturday Mar. 2.
Breitbarth, who was a dispatcher for the Waseca County Sheriff’s Office, was a part of the home-brew beer and wine club the Fermentals, which was started in 2006 at the American Legion in Waseca. The club has supported thousands of dollars in donations such as baskets for fundraisers of all kinds in the community.
The group was started by a handful of brewers and today there are a little over 20 members in the group. The group has had two members go on to open breweries of their own, with John Mansfield running Ward House Brewery and Mike McQuery running Half Pint Brewery.
The group is not limited to beer making, as members of the group make wine and mead as well. Breitbarth was a part of the Fermentals for about five years up to his passing.
After graduating high school in Truman and working in the cities, Breitbarth spent his last portion of his life as a dispatcher for the Waseca County Sheriff’s Office. Because of the emotional strain the position had on his life, he was involved with the Invisible Wound Project. He passed away in August at the age of 40 due to heart-related issues.
“After his passing, we learned he was receiving assistance from the Invisible Wound Project, a program designed to connect emergency responders of all kinds to therapeutic service for this suffering from trauma and stress-related conditions due to their duties in serving all of us,” said David Wright, who is the president of the Fermentals.
In honor of Breitbarth’s memory, the Fermentals are hosting a bockfest at the American Legion on Saturday from 4-10 p.m. The cost of the event is $25 and only $15 for all first responders and for those under 21.
The cost includes gyros, chips, and cookies and also samples of many wines and beers provided by members of the Fermentals and other donating breweries. The event will include a silent auction from 4-7:30 p.m. which is also the time when the food will be served and live music will be played from 8-10 p.m.
The event will be the first one the club has hosted. They got a lot of help from the American legion as the Legion agreed to have it there without hesitation. First responders will also help out at the event, with assisting by serving the food and helping with the sales and auction.
Before his passing, Breitbarth was planning on doing a fundraiser for the Invisible Wounds Project that involved running, as one of his passions was running in events and marathons.
“It just was a natural fit,” Wright said about the bockfest and the Invisible Wounds Project.
The Wayne Breitbarth Memorial Bockfest is a part of the Waseca County Sleigh & Cutter festival and all profits from the event will go towards the Invisible Wound project.
“First responders are dealing with some pretty tough experiences daily,” said Wright. “What a good fit in his memory to help out first responders.”
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