Carnival rides will not be at the Sauerkraut Days festival this year.
Scheduling rides for the event Aug. 5-7 wasn’t feasible, Jerry Dietsch, president of the Sauerkraut Days committee, told the Lisbon City Council at its meeting earlier this month.
“We had two options for days we could hold Sauerkraut Days this year,” Dietsch said. “If we went with the third weekend in August, we could have possibly had carnival rides. With that date being so close to the start of school for Lisbon, we thought it would be better to go earlier in August.”
Ride operators are getting harder to find and Sauerkraut Days doesn’t attract the same numbers of possible ticket buyers as other festivals or fairs in the state. Dietsch noted that two of the carnivals that had operated in the tri-state area are no longer in business,
“We hope the schedule for carnival rides will line up better with next year,” Diestsch said.
Most of the other traditional events like fireworks, ice cream social, king and queen crowning, car show, pedal pull contest and bathtub races are part of this year’s plans, Dietsch said.
The Sauerkraut Days committee is still looking to find other sources of all age entertainment for kids and families to enjoy at this year’s festival. Some suggestions include a junior high dance, inflatables or a petting zoo. The committee is also considering running old-fashioned games like a water balloon toss or three-legged races.
“We’re looking to have something for every age group to look forward to as part of the festival,” Dietsch said. “Any new activities we offer, we’re going to make sure it doesn’t compete with one of the other popular events for their age group.”
Dietsch was updating the city on road closures. Parts of Main Street can stay open Thursday evening because crews won’t have to set up the rides. Dietsch said the Sauerkraut Days 5K follows the route it has in the past. There would also be no changes to the Lora Light Memorial Parade route.