Cedarburg through the seasons: a run-down of its seasonal festivals

Winter Festival:

Date: February 5, 2011 – February 6, 2011

Time: Saturday 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Sunday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Cedarburg’s Winter Festival is a rare gem that offers ice carving contests, bed races on ice, barrel jumping and an Alaskan malamute pulling contest all in one weekend. But the peculiar fun doesn’t stop there. Spend all day chowing down at the chili contest and sipping on cold beer before teeing off at the Lions Club’s “Ice Burg Open Golf Tournament.” The chilly Wisconsin weather won’t keep these clubbers off the green all winter. Cedarburg natives embrace the cold this early February weekend as they halt their hibernation for some good old small town fun.

Strawberry Festival:

Date: June 25, 2011 – June 26, 2011

Time: Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Come join the 100,000 plus strawberry enthusiasts at the 26^th annual Cedarburg Strawberry Festival this June, where you can eat anything and everything you can imagine with a strawberry twist. Taste test traditional items like strawberry ice cream, shortcakes and slushies or indulge in intriguing delicacies like strawberry crepes or the “Original Strawberry Brat.” Now that’s Wisconsin devotion. Wash it all down with the Cedar Creek Winery’s specialty Strawberry Blush Wine. And be sure to warm up your jaws for some serious action in the strawberry shortcake eating contest and strawberry bubble gum blowing contest. You’ll be begging for broccoli by the time this fest is through.

Wine and Harvest Festival:

Photo by Kassie McLaughlin

Date: September 17, 2011 – September 18, 2011

Time: Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

In the annual Cedarburg festival schedule, Wine and Harvest Festival comes third in the line of highly anticipated Cedarburg events. It’s a combination of food and wine tasting, outdoor art exhibits and fall fun. Sip award-winning Cedar Creek Winery’s finest labels as you taste locally-grown produce and artisan foods with harvest flavors. Food booths boast steamed corn, caramel apples, kettle corn, homemade ice cream, turkey legs, brats, honey, cheese, sausage, jellies and more. Walk Washington Avenue and enjoy local art and music all day long. And there’s plenty for the kids too, including pumpkin carving, hayrides, scarecrow contests and even a grape stomping contest.

German Festival:

Date: October 8, 2011 – October 9, 2011

Time: Saturday 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Sunday 11:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Willkommen in Cedarburg!  German Festival is the newest (and goofiest) addition to Cedarburg’s seasonal festivals. In its fourth year, the German Festival offers authentic German food and, of course, beer. But the fest boasts much, much more. Cedarburg provides a perfect atmosphere for polka dancing, tuba tooting and even a goofy Glockenspiel show with hooting Cuckoo clocks. The silliness continues with a German strong woman and man contest, “wife carrying” races, beer bucket races, a sauerkraut eating contest and a German spelling bee. All this crazy fun is topped off with none other than a world-class outhouse racing contest with four “pushers” and one “sitter.” Viel Spass!

For more information about Cedarburg’s festivals, visit the Cedarburg Festival website or Cedarburg’s official website.