How Johnsonville Turned America’s 249th Birthday Into a Sky-Lit Comedy Spectacle
What do you get when you combine a three-tiered sausage cake, karaoke booths, and a thousand-person singalong led by Fortune Feimster? If you guessed a Fourth of July party, you’d be right—but only if it was hosted by Johnsonville. Refusing to wait for America’s 250th birthday, the Wisconsin-based brand threw an all-out, cross-country celebration for the 249th that was equal parts absurd, audacious, and unexpectedly touching.
The main event took place at Summerfest in Milwaukee, where Johnsonville debuted the world’s first-ever sausage-themed drone show, alongside a star-studded comedy set from Fortune Feimster.
A Celebration That Didn’t Wait for the Milestone
While Washington prepped its countdown to 250, Johnsonville decided America deserved a bit more immediacy—and a lot more joy. The brand kicked off the summer with a statement-making launch of its “Party Starter” pack: an 80-pound, 249-link chain of sausages delivered on a collapsible hand cart. The concept wasn’t just novelty—it was a call to action. Through a national nomination process, over 20,000 submissions poured in honoring the unsung party starters of everyday life, from community leaders and nonprofit organizers to backyard barbecue heroes.
The Summerfest Spectacle
The 249th celebration reached a fever pitch at Summerfest presented by American Family Insurance, where comedian Fortune Feimster emceed the evening with her signature blend of heart and hilarity.
“Laughter is the fastest way to bring people together,” Feimster told the crowd. “And Johnsonville nailed the assignment: good food, big laughs, and sausage drones.”
The event featured:
Sausage cannons firing into the cheering crowd
An interactive karaoke booth village
A towering sausage-themed birthday cake
And the Guinness World Record-attempting drone show, courtesy of Sky Elements, featuring patriotic designs and flying bratwursts
Feimster closed out the night by leading a raucous “Happy Birthday” singalong that transformed Summerfest’s main stage into the country's most enthusiastic birthday party.
Sparking Joy and Connection Across the Country
But Johnsonville didn’t stop at Milwaukee. The campaign rolled out pop-up cookouts in New York and Chicago, hosted by The Grill Dads, where first responders were treated to chef-crafted barbecue alongside local residents. Each gathering carried a similar message: fun is not a luxury—it’s the secret ingredient to national unity.
That belief was underscored by Johnsonville’s National Temperature Check, conducted in partnership with The Harris Poll. The data revealed that 90% of Americans believe progress is more likely when we have fun together, but many feel fun has taken a backseat in recent years.
“America’s running low on fun, and we have the data to prove it,” said Jamie Schmelzer, Johnsonville’s VP of Marketing. “So we went big, weird, and joyful—for the 249th. The real goal was to help people reconnect. And if sausage cannons and drone shows are what it takes, we’re all in.”
Setting the Stage for 250
The drone show wasn’t just for spectacle—it’s part of Sky Elements’ bid to break the Guinness World Record for the most drone shows in a 24-hour period. With 25 displays nationwide and nine flown in a single hour, the record is now under official review.
Meanwhile, Johnsonville is already inspiring a shift in how we think about national celebration—not as a once-a-century marker, but as an opportunity to create collective joy in the moment.
With 2026 on the horizon, Johnsonville’s message is clear: don’t wait for history to happen. Start the party. Sing the song. Fire the sausage cannon.