Schoolcraft American Legion Post 475 at 425 E. Clay Street will be expanding on its 4th of July BBQ event with live entertainment in the afternoon, according to Dan Vansweden.
Post members will still serve the traditional favorite barbecued chicken and ribs with sides from noon-4 p.m. offering both indoor and outdoor dining facilities. This year’s entertainment will be expanded to include two live bands performing outside: Latitude will begin at 12:30 p.m. with Heartland following at approximately 3:30 p.m. Both bands feature a country-blues-classic rock sound.
An outdoor inflatable obstacle course will be available for kids as well as an outside beer tent for the adults. The Legion Post offers two air-conditioned levels with open bars and dining that will be available to the public all day.
John Polacek and other members of the Vicksburg Lions Club gave a special tribute to Ken Schippers, retired village manager, at its 2016 event.
By Sue Moore
The Vicksburg Lions Club has a lock on how the good times roll each year with its Summer Festival, more commonly known as the B&B for beer and bratwurst. It opens at the community pavilion on Thursday, July 27 with Kids’ Night and rolls on through Saturday, July 29, very late in the evening.
Besides all the afternoon and evening activity described elsewhere on these pages, the Vicksburg Community Schools alumni association gathers in the morning on Saturday, July 29 in the pavilion with the Lions helping to facilitate by supplying the tables, chairs and sound system.
Each year, the alumni breakfast honors the class that graduated 50 years ago. Over 250 graduates of Vicksburg High School and their spouses usually attend the breakfast. The 50 year graduating class gets to sit at the front of the table, go through the serving line first, and appoint a speaker who talks about what life was like in the years in school.
It’s a great time to catch up on classmates, with the class of 1966 doing all the organizational work for the reunion. Those who didn’t receive a notification in the mail should contact Carol Silliman Erickson of the class of 1966 at 989-621-4578.
Beer and bratwurst go together, they say in Germany. Or Milwaukee. And certainly in Vicksburg.
The Vicksburg Lions Club has been serving them for 44 years at its annual Summer Festival, scheduled this year on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, July 27, 28, 29 at the community pavilion on N. Richardson Street.
“The Lions, a service club, had been raising money in dribs and drabs by selling light bulbs and newspapers in the 1960s,” said Bob Merrill, a member of the club for 55 years. “Otto Kaak, our local baker and club member, came back from a trip to Germany and insisted that we could make lots more money if we sold beer and brats and had a party in 1973. Now we work our heads off for a week, make lots of money, and we’re done. “Kaak also had a secret recipe for the sauerkraut that has been passed down through the ages, according to John Polasek, head of the kitchen operation for the event.
“We go through nearly 1,400 brats and lots of hot dogs too,” Polasek said. “Bob who is 90 years old, loves to do the cooking. He and I love to chide one another about the best way to cook brats. I like to get them nice and plump by grilling them to 150 degrees and then hold them in the roasters to keep them juicy. Bob says I don’t cook them long enough and use too much grilling oil, but that’s not true. He likes to do the cooking and would do it all day and all night if he didn’t get tired. He even bought a new grill to loan to the club this year. Now we can get 60 brats on it at one time rather than the 40-45 we were grilling.”
Soft drinks, water and hot dogs are available in the Lions Club trailer next to the pavilion. The beer has its own trailer to keep everything cold in a tent beside the pavilion. Wrist bands are issued to those over 21 who wish to buy a beer. “Everyone will be there enjoying food and beverages in a wonderful setting at the Community Pavilion,” Polacek said.
Schoolcraft American Legion Post 475 at 425 E. Clay Street will be expanding on its 4th of July BBQ event with live entertainment in the afternoon, according to Dan Vansweden.
