Sauerkraut attracts fun in northwest Illinois

FORRESTON — When July ends and August begins, a northwest Ogle County community comes alive with the sights and sounds of food, fun and games filling the air — along with the smell of sauerkraut.

Forreston’s Sauerkraut Days is a four-day annual celebration of that oh-so-odorous dish that turns the community into Sauerkraut Central, where hundreds of locals and visitors gather for family-friendly activities, races, contests, music, a parade and more.

And, of course, cabbage.

This year’s event runs from Thursday, July 31 to Sunday, Aug. 3, with the majority of the activities taking place Friday and Saturday.

Organizers strive to bring something new to the annual even each year, and 2025 is no different, with two new events on the schedule: an opportunity to sing your favorite tunes as DJ Switchback hosts karaoke at the festival’s Event Tent from 9 to 11 p.m. Aug. 1; and a “foam party” for the kids from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Aug 2.

The intersection of East Cherry Street and South Walnut Avenue on the southeast edge of downtown is the site of the Event Tent on Aug. 1-2, where most of the outdoor events will take place.

The fun begins Thursday at the Forreston High School track with the Cabbage Patch Kids Fun Run at 6:30 p.m. and the Kraut Days 5K Run/Walk at 7 p.m., with registration for both from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Both runs were moved to Thursday this year, after being on Saturday in past events. A fireworks show concludes the evening starting at 9 p.m.

Keeping the event fun and fresh each year is the job of a committee of local residents and business owners who meet each month from February to December to line up entertainment, set up activities and bring new attractions to the fold. Jane Koeller, co-owner of Koeller Hardware in downtown Forreston, chairs the committee and leads a dedicated team to make the festival a top-notch attraction in this village of about 1,500.

“We are always looking for ways to help improve the festival or bring new things,” Koeller said. “This year our biggest change is moving the Kids Fun Run and 5K to Thursday night as this will keep the congestion down on Saturday morning with the car show and vendor and craft show. The committee is proud of this festival as we try really hard to consider all ages when planning the different events. Now we just need Mother Nature to bring us a rain-free, low humidity, and comfortable temps weekend.”

The festival’s flagship event, the Sauerkraut Lunch, is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 2 at Memorial Park. Members of American Legion Post No. 308 of Forreston will handle the big spoons and man the crocks filled with Frank’s Kraut — a name that’s become ubiquitous with sauerkraut, in its familiar green cans since 1905 — to serve eager eaters, whether they’re die-hard sauerkraut lovers or those trying it for the first time.

There’s even more fun in store: Enjoy a parade, mount a mechanical bull, play Bingo, show off your trivia knowledge, gaze at classic cars and motorcycles, shoot hoops, put your melon munching skills up against others, enjoy live music, check out the crafts and other items at the vendor show, let your kids work out some of their excess energy in a bounce house, best your buddies at bags, get creative with sidewalk painting, and more.

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.

The first Sauerkraut Days took place in 1913, and aside from two World War intermissions, ran every year until 1960, when it went on a nearly 50-year hiatus. During its absence, Forreston’s sauerkraut traditions were kept alive through lunch events organized by the Legion. The event was resurrected in 2018 and has continued each year since

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, to the 13th or 14th centuries. Dutch immigrants to Pennsylvania during the American Revolution brought sauerkraut to the New World and made a tradition of having sauerkraut and pork dinners on New Year’s Eve with the belief that it would bring them good luck in the coming year — and it turns out sauerkraut has been pretty good luck for Forreston, too.

Event schedule

July 31

5 p.m. — Forreston Boosters Club concession stand open; Forreston High School football field

5:30-6:30 p.m. — Cabbage Patch Kids Fun Run and Kraut Days 5k Run/Walk registration; Forreston High School football field

6:30 p.m. — Cabbage Patch Kids Fun Run; Forreston High School track

7 p.m. — Kraut Days 5k Run/Walk; Forreston High School track

9 p.m. — Fireworks; Forreston High School

Aug. 1

5-10 p.m. — Food trucks Fri-Yay; corner of East Cherry Street and South Walnut Avenue

5-10 p.m. — Mechanical bull rides; corner of East Cherry Street and South Walnut Avenue

5-10 p.m. — Jumping Into Kraut Days; teens and kids inflatables; Memorial Park

5-11:30 p.m. — Biergarten (beer garden); event tent at the corner of East Cherry Street and South Walnut Avenue

5:30-7 p.m. — Family Fun Night; event tent at the corner of East Cherry Street and South Walnut Avenue

5:30-7:30 p.m. — Face painting; Memorial Park, behind Forreston Grade School

6-8 p.m. — Paint the Park: Sidewalk Painting; information booth at the corner of East Cherry Street and South Walnut Avenue

6-10 p.m. — Bingo; Memorial Park, behind Forreston Grade School

6-10 p.m. — Dunk Tank; corner of East Cherry Street and South Walnut Avenue

6:30-8:30 p.m. — Ice cream bar; Memorial Park, behind Forreston Grade School

7-9 p.m. — Trivia Night; event tent at the corner of East Cherry Street and South Walnut Avenue

8:45 p.m. — Outdoor Movie: “Despicable Me 4”; concession stand on site; Forreston Grade School, east side

9-11 p.m. — DJ and Karaoke, with OJ Switchback; event tent at the corner of East Cherry Street and South Walnut Avenue

Aug. 2

8 a.m.-4 p.m. — Forreston American Legion Car and Bike Show; Forreston Grade School

8 a.m.— Drew Crase Memorial Basketball Tournament; outdoor courts at Forreston High School

9 a.m.-3 p.m. — Craft and Vendor Show; Memorial Park, behind Forreston Grade School

9a.m.-noon — Faith Lutheran bake sale; Memorial Park, behind Forreston Grade School

10 a.m. -10 p.m. — Bingo, Memorial Park, behind Forreston Grade School

10 a.m. - 10 p.m. — Dunk Tank, corner of East Cherry Street and South Walnut Avenue

10 a.m.-7 p.m. — Jumping Into Kraut Days: Teens and kids inflatables; Memorial Park

10 a.m.-3 p.m. — American Legion Sauerkraut Lunch; Memorial Park

11 a.m. -11:30 p.m. — Food Trucks Satur-Yay; corner of East Cherry Street and South Walnut Avenue

11 a.m.-11:30 p.m. — Biergarten ( beer garden); event tent at the corner of East Cherry Street and South Walnut Avenue

11 a.m. — Bags tournament; event tent at the corner of East Cherry Street and South Walnut Avenue; registration begins at 10 a.m. at the event tent

Noon-10 p.m. — Mechanical bull rides; corner of East Cherry Street and South Walnut Avenue

12:30-1:30 p.m. — Foam party; Memorial Park, behind Forreston Grade School

2 p.m. — Watermelon Eating Contest; Memorial Park, behind Forreston Grade School

4 p.m. — Parade; from Forreston Grade School to Locust Avenue

4:30-7 p.m. — Forreston Lion’s pork chop dinner; Memorial Park, behind Forreston Grade School

8 -11 p.m. — Live music: Killer B’s; event tent at the Corner of East Cherry Street and South Walnut Avenue

Aug. 3

7:30-11:30 a.m. — Forreston Firefighter community breakfast, Forreston Fire Station

9:30 a.m. — Community Church Service; Memorial Park

Go to krautdays.com or facebook.com/forrestonhometowndays for more information on the event.