Johnsburg gears up for weekend festival

From the Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008 edition of the Northwest Herald:

Johnsburg gears up for weekend festival
By DIANA SROKA - dsroka@nwherald.com

JOHNSBURG – If it’s been way too long since you last attended a cow-dropping contest, Sunday’s your chance.

Along with food, music and other activities, Johnsburg’s 37th annual Saufen und Spiel celebration will include its ever-popular cow drop raffle as part of the three-day festival.

“We have squares set up on the ground, and we let three cows loose,” event organizer Marty Palmer said. “Hopefully the cow will poop on your square.”

The festival kicks off at 6 p.m. Friday with a black light beanbag toss, plenty to eat, and live music by the Bony Knees until 11 p.m.

Things get cooking again at 5 p.m. Saturday with Banjo Beer Night, hosted by the Johnsburg Lions Club. Again, there’ll be food and live music, this time by two live bands: the Jim Barret Banjo Band and Margarita Island Band.

On Sunday, residents will line the streets for the annual parade, which starts at 12:30 p.m. and lasts about an hour. There will be about 120 entries in the parade, which will follow a different route from previous years.

“We actually reversed the route for safety reasons, to get people off Spring Grove Road,” Palmer said.

The parade will begin at the Johnsburg Junior High and head east on Church Street to Johnsburg Road, where it will head southwest on Johnsburg Road through town to Spring Grove Road. There, participants will head north to Church Street and then east on Church Street to the community club.

After the parade, residents will gather at the community club for food, games and live music by Dr. Rhythm and the Rockers. A German band will perform polka music inside the community club. And, of course, the cow-drop raffle is at 4 p.m.

Palmer said that Friday and Saturday’s activities usually attract adults, but Sunday is family-oriented.

“Everybody comes out,” Palmer said. “It’s a small-town atmosphere.”

If you go
What: 37th annual Saufen und Spiel festival.
Where: Johnsburg Community Club, 2315 Church Ave., Johnsburg.
When: 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, 5 to 11 p.m. Saturday, 12:30 p.m. to late afternoon Sunday.