Johnsburg’s Saufen und Spiel Parade, festivities set for this weekend

It is all drink and play Sunday at Johnsburg’s annual Saufen und Spiel Parade.

The parade’s name in German means exactly that: drink and play. It also pays tribute to the town’s German roots, said Jim Barrett, chairman of the event.

For 50 years, the Johnsburg Community Club has hosted the Saufen und Spiel Parade and events associated with it. This year marks the 51st annual event for a club, which has been around for 101 years.

It was set up in the 1920s to help Johnsburg find new opportunities to receive tax dollars for better village infrastructure, he said.

The club is credited with raising $150,000 in the 1930s to replace a bridge crossing the Fox River. In today’s dollars, that is about $2.6 million.

Money raised by the club through the weekend’s parade and events again goes back into the community.

Those funds, about $30,000 each year, goes back to “a number of different organizations in town: sports, athletics at our schools, independent athletic organizations,” Barrett said.

The weekend’s events, which do not have an entry fee to attend, start Friday at the Johnsburg Community Club’s Fest Grounds, 2315 Church St.

The black light bean bag tournament kicks off at 5 p.m. Friday. The board are striped with reflective tape and the bags glow in the dark, Barrett said.

Up to 48 two-person teams may register in the double-elimination bags tournament. Sponsored by the Johnsburg Community Men’s Club, there is a $15 per-person registration fee. Food and drink are available for sale.

The Johnsburg Lions Club sponsors Saturday’s events. Three bands are set to play starting at 5 p.m. Food and beverages will be on sale on the festival grounds.

One of Saturday’s highlights is the glockenspiel, a life-sized cuckoo clock. German performers dance to traditional music with axes, Barrett said. The performance recognizes the event’s German history, noting “it is comical and draws the entire crowd there,” he said.

A newer event is the stein-holding contest. Added last year, participants compete to see who can hold a beer stein the longest.

It was sort of a last-minute addition in 2021 when six men were invited to come on stage and hold a stein, Barrett said. As they were waiting for them to finish, a group of women lined up for their shot. There will be men and women’s categories this year, he said.

“Winner get their glass and drinks free for the rest of the day,” Barrett said.

On Sunday, the parade steps off at noon from the Johnsburg Village Hall, 1515 Channel Beach Ave., east on Lakeview Street, then south on Riverview Drive to Channel Beach Avenue, ending at the Fest Grounds.

Bands will begin playing about 1:30 p.m. with food and drink available for sale. For children, there are a variety of inflatable features – wristbands for those are $10 each.

At 4 p.m. Sunday, the bovines will be loosed for the annual Cow Drop. Entrants purchase a $10 ticket and receive a random square number. Cows are herded onto a field with drawn-out squares. The owners of the first three squares where a cow drops its manure receive a cash prize.

For information, go to johnsburgcommunityclub.com.