43
10th annual Kraut Fest marks end of harvest || VIDEO
Kraut Festival
Video
Haus Orchard and Cider Mill in Green Twp. hosted its 10th annual Kraut Fest. Sauerkraut, ethnic music and cabbage bowling were among the attractions.
CANFIELD — Drawing visitors from numerous Mahoning Valley communities, a local farm market is observing its 10th annual Kraut Fest to mark the end of the harvest season with ethnic food, music and games this weekend.
The family-oriented event continues from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at the Haus Red Apple Orchard and Cider Mill, 6742 W. Calla Road, with music by the Del Sinchak polka band.
In 1999, Sinchak’s band was nominated for a Grammy Award for polka album of the year for its album “Let the Sunshine In.”
Saturday’s music was provided by the Al-Ray Combo, which plays polka, buttonbox and waltz music, and the Stone Ridge Band, which plays country music.
Besides the country band, new features this year are a greenhouse converted into a children’s room and “the pumpkin train,” a tractor-drawn children’s train ride around the farm.
“The atmosphere is nice. It’s a beautiful day, and it’s just a good day to be out,” said Jaclyn Graurich of Columbiana, a regular shopper at the farm market, who was visiting the festival for the first time. She purchased doughnuts, kraut dogs and cider to take home.
With sunny skies and warm weather this year, the festival is experiencing the best weather in the last five years of the November event, said Matt Haus, co-owner of the mill with his wife, Cheryl. In some years, more than 1,000 people have attended the festival.
“We’re so busy in October with picking apples and selling apples. This is really the only time that we have time to do something like this and give it our full attention,” Matt Haus said.
Also featured are a magic show, performances by Raggs the Clown, the Cabbage Bowl and a Shred-a-Head Contest. The Cabbage Bowl features bowling with a head of cabbage. A $50 prize goes to the winner of the Shred-a-Head Contest — the person who shreds the most cabbage in one minute.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” said Karen Harris of Greenford, who has attended the event in every one of the last 10 years, usually on both days. “We enjoy it. It’s like family here. Everyone treats you so good. The music’s good. The food’s excellent,” said Harris, who attended with her husband, Arden Harris, and her mother, Mildred Loudon of Salem.
“We had a lot of fun. The food was good,” said Darlene Strawbridge of Struthers, who was visiting the festival for the first time with her sister, Patricia Fletcher, also of Struthers, and Strawbridge’s 13-year-old niece, Clara-Marie McCracken of Youngstown.
McCracken said she enjoyed cabbage bowling, in which she scored a strike, meaning she knocked down all 10 pins.
The entertainment, dancing and dining areas are inside large tents adjacent to the market’s sales room. Adult festival admission is $4, $7 for couples. Children are admitted free. Food and drink are extra. A portion of event proceeds goes to the American Diabetes Association.
Drinks include hot and cold apple cider, kraut juice and a carbonated nonalcoholic apple beer.
Featured foods include kielbasa, bratwurst, beer braut, hot dogs, homemade sauerkraut, pirogi, haluski, sauerkraut cake, homemade apple strudel and apple pie.
Crops grown and sold on the 25-acre farm include apples, peaches, pears, plums, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage and asparagus. The market makes and sells doughnuts containing apple cider.
The Haus family, which has been making cider at the mill for 55 years, has made about 50,000 gallons of cider this year.
Haus cider, which is pasteurized and contains no preservatives, is sold at the farm market and at several local Rulli Bros, Nemenz and Giant Eagle supermarkets.
The farm market is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.