Brewers fans participate in hunt for Chorizo

NEW YORK -- "Where's Chorizo?" Brewers fans asked over the weekend when the popular Sausage Race at Miller Park was missing a link.

The team answered early Tuesday.

In a reprise of last year's "Where's Bernie?" scavenger hunt, the Brewers called their fans to Miller Park on Tuesday to collect one of 2,000 lawn ornaments depicting the famous fifth sausage. They had been scattered about grassy areas surrounding the ballpark and its parking lots.

The latest hunt was staged to hype the Brewers' annual Spring Madness promotion, set for a May 21-23 series against the Giants. Most tickets regularly priced $38 and below are 50 percent off during the three-day promotion, and Klement's hot dogs and Pepsi products are $1 apiece.

Each lawn ornament was affixed with a pouch that includes game tickets for a Spring Madness game, and three ornaments entitled its finder to a grand prize:

• A breakfast on the spot with Hall of Fame pitcher Rollie Fingers in the Helfaer Field Atrium.

• An opportunity for four to watch batting practice on the field, with one person tossing a ceremonial first pitch.

• A home visit from the Klement's Famous Racing Sausages for a tailgate party with supplies provided by Pepsi, Klement's and Miller at a mutually agreed upon date and event.

"Obviously the response from fans to last year's 'Where's Bernie?' event was off the charts, and while we needed to adjust some of the logistics, we knew that this was something we wanted to do again," Brewers COO Rick Schlesinger said.

Last year's event sparked something of a frenzy throughout greater Milwaukee, with some fans hoarding statuettes of Bernie Brewer.

With that in mind, the Brewers asked their fans to behave this time. Club staffers were on hand to enforce a strict limit of one ornament per person.

Fans were asked to park in the Molitor Lot, which is located off Bluemound Rd. just north of Interstate 94.

After Tuesday's scramble, the club planned to host a Dutch auction at brewers.com, beginning on Thursday and ending May 31 at 5 p.m. CT. Fans will bid on five Chorizo lawn ornaments, and the five highest bidders will each pay the amount of the fifth-highest bid.