A fun Saturday night.
For 51 years, the Vicksburg Lions Club has hosted the Summer Festival, fondly known by locals as the B&B – beer and brats. Lion Otto Kaak brought the idea to the Lions Club in 1975 to bring the bier and bratwurst local fare from his home country of Germany to Vicksburg. It has grown to be our club’s largest fundraiser!
This year’s B&B will be Thursday, July 23 through Saturday, July 25 at the Vicksburg Community Pavilion on Richardson Street. We serve John Fink’s famous brats and the late Lion John Polasek’s delicious kraut. In addition to beer and brats, we offer a variety of wines, canned cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as other concession food fare. You won’t want to miss this three-day event!
Thursday is Family Night and opens at 4 p.m. with food and drink specials available and a kids’ raffle, where we will give away six $50 Meijer gift cards at the end of the night. Starting at 6 p.m., we will have kids’ crafts, a balloon artist, and touch a truck. Local band Thursday Throwdown will provide live music starting at 7 p.m.
Friday opens at 11 a.m. As part of our annual Summer Festival, we offer takeout lunch to area businesses and organizations on this day between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. for pickup. If you are interested, please complete a Google form (http://bit.ly/4aOzkfL) by 3 p.m. on Wednesday July 22. Individuals are welcome to enjoy lunch at the Pavilion or to-go, as well. This is a perfect time to get a group together to enjoy our featured fare. The adult cornhole tournament begins at 6 p.m. Come and cheer the teams on and stay for the music by the Back Roads Band from 8 p.m. to midnight.
Saturday begins with a unique social event. If you graduated from Vicksburg High School 50-plus years ago, plan on joining your peers for a reunion like no other. Arrive at 11 a.m. for social time. Lunch will be served at noon. The class of 1976 will be the honored class. This is a great time to reconnect and share treasured memories! The adult horseshoe tournament begins Saturday at 10 a.m. Good food and fun served up all day! The grand finale features HairMania taking the stage at 8 p.m. and wrapping up at midnight.
Special notes of consideration: The B&B is a cash only event and there is a mobile ATM onsite for your convenience. On Friday and Saturday nights, no one under the age of 21 will be allowed on the grounds after 9 p.m. As it is a fundraiser, no outside food or drink is allowed during the festival, including water bottles and personal containers.
In our 73 years of service to our community, the Vicksburg Lions Club has raised over $884,000 in support of state and local projects! We welcome new members! If you are interested in joining, our meetings begin again in September, at 6 p.m. on the 2nd Monday of each month, at the Main Street Pub. In the meantime, we hope to see you at our annual Summer Festival. For more information, visit our website.
