Sauerkraut Days festival kicks off in Forreston Aug. 1

The first weekend of August brings a little more hustle and bustle to Forreston.

The village in the northwest corner of Ogle County rolls out the welcome mat to both locals and visitors alike, people of all ages who come out to an annual festival to enjoy food, fun and games and more.

Each year, as the days of summer’s sunset draw closer, Forreston sets aside time to celebrate all the things it prides itself on – family, friends, volunteers, small-town hospitality – during Sauerkraut Days.

The four days bring one of northern Illinois’ largest small-town festivals to the village’s streets, where hundreds enjoy good company, good times and sauerkraut.

“It’s a great community event that brings a bunch of great organizations together to celebrate Forreston,” Jane Koeller said. “We strive to make sure there’s something for everybody, whether it’s for the really young or the young-at-heart. It’s so cool seeing all those people, especially when Mother Nature has been good to us.”

Koeller is part of the small army of volunteers who help bring the celebration together. She chairs the committee and leads a dedicated team to make the festival a top-notch attraction in this village of about 1,500.

The intersection of East Cherry Street and South Walnut Avenue on the southeast edge of downtown is the site of the festival’s Event Tent on Aug. 2-3, where most of the outdoor events will take place.

Thursday

The fun begins around 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, with fireworks over Forreston.

Friday

Friday delivers fun from 5-11 p.m. with a variety of activities, including food vendors. For those who want to get a grip on things, they can mount a mechanical bull or test their skill on a climbing wall. Additional Family Fun Night activities, as well as a dunk tank, also will be set up at the Event Tent. The first of the festival’s two races takes place Friday with the Cabbage Patch Kids Fun Run at 5:45 p.m. Kids who want to show off their artistic skills can bring some color and creativity to Memorial Park from 6 to 8 p.m. Bingo will be at Memorial Park from 6 to 10 p.m., as well as an ice cream bar from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

A music trivia contest is set at the Event Tent from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, and a video game tournament will run there from 5 to 10 p.m.

Saturday

The festival’s flagship event, the Sauerkraut Lunch, is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Memorial Park. Members of American Legion Post No. 308 of Forreston will handle the big spoons and staff the crocks filled with Frank’s Kraut – a popular brand in its familiar green cans since 1905 – to serve eager eaters, whether they’re diehard sauerkraut lovers or those trying it for the first time.

Saturday’s activities begin at 7 a.m. with a breakfast tent serving until 9 a.m. at Memorial Park. The festival’s second race, the Kraut Days 5K Run/Walk, begins at 8 a.m.

Other highlights in Saturday’s lineup include a car and motorcycle show, 3-on-3 basketball competition, inflatable bounce houses, the Sauerkraut Days parade at 4 p.m. and a performance by Back Country Roads from 8 to 11 p.m. at the Event Tent.

A beer garden also will be part of the Friday and Saturday festivities.

Sunday

Rounding out the festival’s events, the fire department will host breakfast at the fire station from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday, and a church service will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Memorial Park.

About the kraut

Although known as part of German cuisine, the first dishes of sauerkraut – translated as “sour cabbage” in English – have been traced back to eastern Europe and the 13th or 14th centuries. Dutch immigrants to Pennsylvania during the American Revolution brought sauerkraut to the New World; they made a tradition of having sauerkraut and pork dinners on New Year’s Eve to bring them good luck in the coming year.

Making it all happen at the festival takes a dedicated group of volunteers who do their best to ensure this part of their hometown history survives and thrives, and that people of all ages have a great time, committee member Maria Whitehead said.

“It’s about community,” she said. “It’s not just about people coming, but it’s also the people who are volunteering and helping to make it happen. As we grow, we wonder what we can do to make everyone come out, not just certain age groups, but we try to get kids involved, teens involved, older people.”