Staff photo by Clay Schuldt The Brown County Demolition Derby concluded Sunday afternoon with four classes of vehicles going hood to hood to wreck each other.

NEW ULM — The Brown County Demolition Derby concluded Sunday afternoon with four classes of vehicles going hood to hood to wreck each other.

Sunday’s derby was a special event. Ohmar Schugel was the guest referee for the derby. Schugel is the man responsible for bringing demo derbies to the Brown County Fair 50 years ago. Before the show, Schugel entertained the crowd by telling the story of the derby’s humble origin.

In 1967, Schugel approached the fair board about bringing a demo derby to the fair. Schugel had taken part in a derby the previous year in Fairmont and thought it could work here.

The board was not convinced it would work. Schugel had to ask the board three times before they agreed. In the original agreement, Schugel took on all the risk. If the event made no money, he made no money.

The first year of the demo derby was a success. Schugel said about 75 percent of the grandstands were filled that night, which is great for a first-time event. In the years that followed, the event grew bigger and soon a second demolition night was added to the schedule.

The derby has changed in the last five decades. These days safety is a greater concern. In the beginning a driver could keep their gas tank in the vehicle trunk, but that would never fly today.

Old rules prohibited reinforcement of the vehicles, but today everyone is allowed to reinforce their vehicles.

The type of cars have changed. The demolition derbies of the late 1960s featured a lot Plymouths and other larger cars.

The biggest change is the prize money. During the first derby the winner received $35, but today the top prize is $800. Before the derby was over on Sunday, three drivers would receive $800 for their destructive skills.

There were 29 cars entered spread across four heats. The first heat was the 1980s Stock. First place went to Brent Schroeder; second was awarded to Jim Jenson; third place went to Bryan Kuehn and fourth went to Jordan Schultz.

The Mighty Minis class was won by Michael McDermott. Anthony McDermott took second. Dusty Scharbach finished third. Cole Martin placed fourth.

The truck division was dominated by Earl Allen. Second went to Pat Klinkner. Bill Pelzel finished third. Kyle Rewitzer placed fourth.

The final derby was a free- for-all among all the vehicles still capable of running after two days of fierce competition. Only four vehicles took part in the final round. Matt Konakowitz was the last vehicle running at the Brown County Fair. He was awarded $500 for this honor.

The demo derby is not typically held on Sunday, but Wednesday’s derby was cancelled due to weather. The demo derby runs even if it is raining, but if there is lightning, the event is cancelled. Fortunately, Sunday’s weather brought mild sprinkles and no electrical discharge.

The Brown County Demolition Derby attracted a crowd of approximately 3,000 on Saturday. The Sunday crowd was smaller but the grandstands were filled to over half capacity. After 50 years, the derby is the fair’s largest revenue generator. The profits from the derby help fund all the other events enjoyed at the fair every year.