Whether it’s the sauerkraut cookbook, the sauerkraut pizza, or the sauerkraut pastries, people from across the country are drawn to Waynesville this time of the year to celebrate the traditional food.

And organizers say this year’s Ohio Sauerkraut Festival will be bigger than ever.

The festival, which began in 1970 with 1,500 guests and just over 500 pounds of sauerkraut, has ballooned in popularity. This year organizers expect 350,000 attendees will consume seven tons of the German cabbage dish.

“It’s always been a traditional dish,” said Katie Smith, marketing coordinator of The Freemont Company, whose subsidiary SnowFloss Sauerkraut sponsors the event. “Sometimes people eat it at New Year’s for good luck, but it’s definitely been popular for a while.”

There will be 30 food booths and 450 craft booths at the festival, according to the website. Among the many kraut-themed dishes will be the ever-popular sauerkraut pizza, cabbage rolls, cabbage soup, and several pork-and-sauerkraut dishes.

The Ohio Sauerkraut Festival will take place this year in Waynesville from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. October 13 and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. October 14. For more information, go to www.sauerkrautfestival.com.

SnowFloss Sauerkraut is hoping this year’s event will bring more than memories for some of its fans.

The company looking for family faces for the new labels of its titular product, and is inviting kraut lovers to share their photos, Smith said.

“We’re a very traditional company, we’re a family company,” Smith said. “We’re hoping to see how our customers and their families have enjoyed our sauerkraut.”

To participate in the label contest, submit photos of yourself, your family, your group or your friends enjoying SnowFloss sauerkraut with a caption explaining how you use it. Entrants aren’t required to attend the festival. SnowFloss will be collecting photos for labels through January 2013. Send your photo through the SnowFloss Facebook page or directly to photos@snowflosskraut.com.