A Special Brat Fest For Soldiers

    MADISON, WI, May 13, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- A little bit of home is always special when you're far away, but for the 100,000 plus troops serving overseas in Afghanistan, a little bit of home is a big morale booster.

The World's Largest Brat Fest, which takes place over Memorial Day weekend every year in Madison, Wisconsin, was recently contacted by a squadron in Afghanistan who wanted to attend Brat Fest this year but are unable to due to their deployment. They asked for a poster to hang up to help them celebrate the event a half a world away.

Brat Fest organizers, however, wanted to give them more than just a poster. They were so inspired by the squadron's request that they decided to help recreate Brat Fest in the middle of the desert.

"Brat Fest is a huge supporter of our troops at home and overseas, so when Jordan contacted us, I wanted to give her more than a poster. I wanted to help her recreate Brat Fest for the whole squadron," said event organizer Tim Metcalfe.

To make the satellite event as real as possible, Brat Fest sent the troops everything they needed to recreate their own Brat Fest: logo napkins, logo plates, official t-shirts, official Brat Fest mustard and sauerkraut. The tentative date to celebrate the satellite Brat Fest is May 18th 2011 and over 400 personnel plan on attending.

"This is a morale boost for us," said Captain Jordan Appel. "Having Brat Fest support our squadron and provide us with our own mini Brat Fest means a lot to us - it's nice to know we can enjoy this summer tradition in our own way."

Captain Jordan Appel from Amery, Wisconsin is a female MQ-1 "predator" pilot in the 62nd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron. The squadron takes off and lands the MQ-1s (predators) and the MQ-9s (reapers).

Last year, Brat Fest worked with the Marine Corp League on their Fallen Warrior Project. The Marine Corp League handed out paper roses to guests attending Brat Fest, in return guests can donate money, which is used to provide statutes to families of soldiers killed in the line of duty.

About Brat Fest
The World's Largest Brat Fest started more than 28 years ago, when Tom Metcalfe started grilling brats in the parking lot of Metcalfe's Market to thank his customers. His sons, Tim and Kevin Metcalfe, have grown Brat Fest into what Madisonians and others from around the country know today as "The World's Largest Brat Fest." The event still serves as a thank you to customers, but now it also serves as a way to raise money for local organizations. For additional information on the World's Largest Brat Fest, visit http://www.bratfest.com.

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