A softball tournament will be returning to Lisbon’s Sauerkraut Days activities this year, as the committee and City of Lisbon have come to a joint agreement on running the alcohol booth at the Lisbon City Park.
Lisbon’s Sauerkraut Days committee will use their DRAM shop coverage to have two areas for serving alcohol at Lisbon’s Sauerkraut Days, one downtown and one at the Lisbon softball diamonds. Drayton Kamberling and volunteers with the Lisbon parks and recreation commission will help man the booth at the softball stand.
“It was only going to cost us an extra $100 to run the necessary dram shop licensing, and that just made sense rather than having the city pay for their own license, if they are willing to help us man the stand during the festival and when the softball tournament returns,” said Jerry Boots, one of the Sauerkraut Days committee members at Lisbon’s council meeting.
City administrator Brandon Siggins commended the work of the parks and recreation commission and the committee for working together to allow alcohol in the park and the return of the softball tournament last year.
“Last year we were told how big a deal the softball tournament was and both groups put brains together to come up with a solution that will work for everybody to make this community festival activity return,” Siggins said. “Everybody came together for the greater good.”
Boots said the committee is also expecting Saturday, Aug. 19, to be very busy as Lisbon wrestling coach Brad Smith will be hosting a retirement party that evening at the Sauerkraut Days.
“We want that to be successful for them and are looking for additional volunteers for the food and beverage tent to help with the larger crowds,” Boots said.
The Lisbon City Park will be reserved for the ice cream social Thursday, Aug. 17. No parking was requested from Jackson Street from South Street to Main Street on both sides of the street to facilitate traffic and hay rack rides.
Alcohol at the park will not be sold Wednesday, Aug. 16, when the community movie is played by Lisbon Parks and Recreation is held. This year will be Illumination Animation’s “The Super Mario Brothers” movie.
The committee was also making their usual requests for street closures for the festival.
Downtown Main Street, including the 100 block of West Main Street from Walnut to Washington Street and East main from Washington to Jackson Street will begin closing Thursday, Aug. 17, at 7 a.m., to begin set up for the Sauerkraut Days festival. The roads will reopen Sunday, Aug. 20 by noon.
Council members Rick Scott and Nathan Smith were concerned about the closures beginning so early for those streets and impacting certain businesses. Boots said that streets usually close on Thursdays to allow set up of the carnival rides every year.
During the parade, the roads along the parade route will close beginning at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 19. Line-up for the parade will be on East Fifth Avenue, and the parade will follow the usual route – Washington Street to Market Street, Market Street to Walnut Street, Walnut Street to Main Street, Main Street to Penn Street, Penn to South Street and South Street to the Lisbon school parking lot.
Road closure along South Street’s north side only from Jackson Street to Monroe Street will happen Saturday, Aug. 19, for the course of the Sauerkraut Days 5K, beginning at 7:30 a.m. until 8:30 a.m.
East Main Street from Jackson Street to Mclann Lane, Monroe Street from South Street to Market Street and Buchanan Street from Main to Market will be closed from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. for the Cabbage Head car show.