Thousands enjoy weather, food at Sauerkraut Festival

42nd annual festival ranked 28th best craft show in the country.

Thousands of people took advantage of the summer-like weather Saturday at Waynesville's Sauerkraut Festival. Crafts, music and plenty of sauerkraut-themed food were all on hand at the festival.

Contributing photo by Martin Wheeler Thousands of people took advantage of the summer-like weather Saturday at Waynesville's Sauerkraut Festival. Crafts, music and plenty of sauerkraut-themed food were all on hand at the festival.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Photos: Sauerkraut Festival

Road closing for railroad repairs
New 5 min. ago
Caesar Creek Lake boater falls overboard, medics attempting rescue
Updated 9 min. ago
Beach Waterpark sued by Ohio Attorney General's Office for failure to deliver
Updated 21 min. ago
Worker falls 20 feet from utility pole
11:14 a.m.
Out-of-state shoppers arrested in clothing theft
10:14 a.m.
> More headlines

By Lauren Pack, Staff Writer Updated 2:41 AM Sunday, October 9, 2011

WAYNESVILLE — Gorgeous weather, an appetite for German food and shopping brought thousands to downtown Waynesville Saturday for village’s 42nd annual Sauerkraut Festival. The festival continues 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today.

Young and old strolled through 500 booths filled with treasurers for everyone.

A young woman walked by a vendor serving up a bowl of steaming sauerkraut and commented on its aroma before ducking into a booth filled with fall decorations. A man walking next to her said, “Yum,” and headed to purchase a serving.

Peg Taylor, a former resident of Arcanum who now lives in Paris, Ky., scooped up some presents for her dogs at a gourmet pet treat booth where she received a compliment on the Halloween vest she was wearing.

“I bought it at the festival 20 years ago,” Taylor said. She added she tries to attend every year despite living out of state.

“When I lived in Arcanum, it was something you just didn’t want to miss,” Taylor said, noting the show has a great selection of crafts.

The annual festival is currently ranked 28th on Sunshine Artisan magazine’s list of top 100 craft shows in the country.

Friends Sandy White and Sheila Elam sat in the shade holding bags of purchases and taking a breather before a second round of shopping.

“I’ve been coming for 30 years,” said White, a Mason resident. “We start at the Methodist church. They have a great sauerkraut meal, then start shopping.”

The women often look for gifts, but Elam admitted all the purchases Saturday were for themselves.

The festival is expected to draw 350,000 people to the northeastern corner of Warren County over the course of two days.

While there are crowds, police directed traffic for vehicles and pedestrians, and there’s also a shuttle bus provided by the Waynesville Athletic Boosters at Wayne Local High School on Dayton Road. Cost for parking is $5 and proceeds go to the boosters.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2168 or lpack@coxohio.com.

Share this article