Previews of Previews...

July 27, 2010

Have you ever heard of elephantine Polish entrepreneur Colezslau Growleroski? A lover of cabbage and beer, he is responsible for two of the greatest inventions of our time: Cole slaw and Growlers. If it wasn't for this gluttonous genius,...

there would be no Fitger's Brewhouse, which is nationally renown for its growlers of scrumdiddlie-iscious craft brewed ale and creamy cole slaw that accompanies BH's amazingly delicious fish 'n chips. And without the Brewhouse, there would be no iconic triathlon of the same name!

Minnesota triathletes, whether they know it or not, are indebted to the late, great, morbidly obese alcoholic, Colezslau Growleroski.

Have you ever asked yourself if the guy on the "old" Brawny Towels package is really Paul Bunyan? Rumors have circulated for decades that the actual model for that packaging was the moonlighting Jolly Green Giant, who we all know lives in a really big cabin near Le Sueur, Minnesota. (Home of Le Sueur peas!)

The truth can now be told. The original model, the guy with the blond hair and 'stache IS Mr. Bunyan, that Ox-loving mega-woodsman. The guy on the new packaging is either the Jolly Green Giant or David Hasselhoff.

Randy Fulton, director of the Paul Bunyan Triathlon, which like the Brewhouse Tri, will be contested this weekend, can now give out rolls of the original package towels as awards at his triathlons. Till now the top divisional finishers in his race have had to settle for medals and trophies.

The  town of Waseca, which also hosts a fine triathlon this weekend, was settled by Siberian farmers in the mid-1800s. Did you know that the town was named for the scary fur hats--Wasecarovas--that the settlers wore even in the summertime. As you can see in the photo above, the shapka-ushankas (earflaps hats) were rather hastily made.

Thankfully, Waseca hats have evolved over the decades. The newer versions do not have muskrat heads or hoofed extremities but still look totally goofy. Waseca Tri director Mark Bongers briefly considered giving Waseca ushankas to the winners of his race. The idea passed when he sobered up.

FYI - Though he was Polish, not Russian, Colezslau Growleroski owned several Wasecarovas and occasionally wore them in public.

The real race previews are coming soon...