Cedarburg Launches German Festival
July 19 & 20, 2008

With a cheerful salute to Cedarburg’s German founders and a hearty Gemuetlichkeit, Festivals of Cedarburg, Inc. and the City of Cedarburg Parks & Recreation Department have announced Historic Cedarburg’s very first German Festival on Saturday, July 19, 10 am–9 pm & Sunday, July 20, 10 am–6 pm. Free admission and parking.

Located mainly outdoors in leafy Cedar Creek Park, this new annual festival plans to offer German sausages and beer as well as other authentic dishes and desserts accompanied by German musical traditions topped with a big dollop of German culture.

Silly contests are also part of the weekend, including Wife Carrying and Beer Bucket Races with more contests to come.

Lively and infectious German music in the park band shell both days spotlight the Pommersche Spaldeel Performance Group & Band, Tuba Dan, the Alte Kameraden Band, Polka Dotz, Blaskapelle Milwaukee and Zither.

And, if you’ve never seen a live Cuckoo Clock Show, this delightful and goofy event, sponsored by Port Washington State Bank, will make you laugh as it reappears every two hours, beginning at noon daily.

More German-focused culture and music, plus a Sunday afternoon Sheepshead (Schafskopf) Tournament with great prizes, will be located inside the Cedarburg Cultural Center, adjacent to the Park. The Cultural Center will also host a Farmers Market and outdoor Craft Fair. To participate in these events, call: 262-375-3676.

Tours of both the historic Kuehfuss House on Washington Avenue and Cedar Creek Winery, in the restored 1864 Wittenberg Woolen Mill, will be offered daily.

Festival organizers are seeking participants for the various activities from the Greater Milwaukee community and fun-loving volunteers to help staff and run the festival.

German Festival attendees will enjoy strolling Washington Avenue, absorbing the charm and historic ambiance of thriving Downtown Cedarburg, chock-full of unique retail shops and restaurants. Founded in the 1840’s, Cedarburg was declared a National Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The city is home to more than 100 restored and intact buildings of historic significance. Through careful preservation, the downtown looks much as it did a century ago.

Come help us celebrate the flavor of Germany! Cedarburg is located just 20 minutes north of Milwaukee off I-43. For further information, please call 262-375-7611 or check the website for updates: www.ci.cedarburg.wi.us (City Departments>Parks & Recreation>German Festival).