Kraut Music Fest will return after a 12 year hiatus starting June 18 at the Caledonia-Mount Pleasant Joint Park, 9416 Northwestern Avenue, and organizers expect about 60,000 to 80,000 people to attend the four day music festival.
The event organizers have been hard at work upgrading the 52-acre park. Area businesses, Route 20 Outhouse owner Ray Stibek, his event company GZK Entertainment, and the joint parks have either paid for or donated $67,886 in upgrades to the park .
Jim Svboda, joint parks superintendent and parks liaison, said that while the park has been improved, there was about $250,000 in deferred maintenance projects that hadn’t been done over the years.
“Which is why we came up with the idea of starting to have festivals here so that it would be a fund-raiser for the park,” he said.
The plan is working.
About $29,000 in electrical upgrades, lighting, street lights and vendor poles for future events have been added. Statewide Fencing and the Racine Area Soccer Association donated part of the cost of a $15,000 fence. Dresen Landscaping donated $5,800 in services including grading low spots, seeding areas that were trip hazards, and putting in 160 yards of mulch around every tree in the park. A.W. Oakes & Son added a parking lot near the tennis courts.
Other improvements include resurfacing and filling in potholes, repairing a water system that hadn’t worked in 10-plus years, and re-roofing work to the garage.
“These improvements and expenses don’t include the hours spent by the Park manager, Ray Stibeck and his crew, or the volunteers that have assisted in making this all possible,” Svboda said. “That number is most likely in the $8,000 to $10,000 range. These hours are being gifted to the park to make this event happen.”
The event will feature two music stages, a carnival midway, food tents that will feature sauerkraut, antique tractor show, local vendors, fireworks, skydiving demonstrations, a kraut queen contest, and kraut eating contest.
The BoDeans will be kicking off the Kraut Music Festival. Originally, the band Los Lonely Boys were to kick off the festival, but they are now playing Friday night, said Niki Corbett, marketing director for Kraut Music Fest.
Admission for the event is $8, and parking is $5.
Here’s the music line-up for the Kraut Music Festival.
THURSDAY, JUNE 18th
Route 20 Main Stage
4:30 pm – Nix
6:00 pm – The Lately
7:30 pm – Doghouse Flowers
9:00 pm – BODEANS
Jagermeister Stage
2:30 pm – Ash Can School
4:00 pm – Sunspot
5:30 pm – Imperial Fall
7:00 pm – Another Lost Year
8:30 pm – FINGER ELEVEN
FRIDAY, JUNE 19th
Route 20 Main Stage
3:30 pm – KR Bluegrass
5:00 pm – Southern Tradition
6:30 pm – 89 Mojo
8:00 pm – Matt Meyer and The Smooth Riders
9:30 pm – LOS LONELY BOYS
Jagermeister Stage
3:30 pm – Facelift
5:00 pm – Consult The Briefcase
6:30 pm – The Metal Men
8:00 pm – The Black Saints
9:30 pm – SKID ROW
SATURDAY, JUNE 20th
Route 20 Main Stage
3:30 pm – Joe 2.0
5:00 pm – Koltrane
6:30 pm – John King
8:00 pm – Annie Bosko
9:30 pm – GLORIANA
Jagermeister Stage
12:30 pm – BRB Blues Rock Band
2:00 pm – Eskimo Brothers
3:30 pm – Natty Nation
5:00 pm – Uptown Savages
6:30 pm – Reverend Raven & The Chain Smokin Alter Boys
8:30 pm – THE LOVEMONKEYS
SUNDAY, JUNE 21st
Jagermeister Stage
12:30 pm – Saturday Night Preachers
2:00 pm – Real Deal
3:30 pm – Mama Digdown’s Brass Band
6:00 pm – BELLA CAIN
