101 Years of Kraut and Community: Sauerkraut Day Returns to Wishek

Mark your calendar for October 3 because Wishek is about to serve up its 101st Sauerkraut Day, and the tradition shows no sign of slowing down!

Last year, the town celebrated a milestone with its 100th Sauerkraut Day, an unbroken run stretching back to the 1920s. For a full century, each October, the friendly people of Wishek have set out kraut and wieners for anyone who shows up, and “anyone” sometimes means thousands of people. “It all began as a thank you to businesses,” says Courtney Ust, Secretary of Wishek Association of Commerce, the group that organizes the event each year. It’s a tradition rooted deep in the region’s Germans-from-Russia heritage, and one the whole community turns out to keep alive. “It’s grown each year since then. Last year, we had a family from Texas even come out and make a weekend of it.”

The Numbers Behind the Kraut

Ask the volunteer organizers, and they’ll tell you the day starts early. Cooks are in the kitchen by 5 am, working to prepare enough food for more than a thousand people before the doors even open. By the time the day wraps up, more people will have come to the town for the day than double Wishek’s own population!

All attendees are welcome to a free sauerkraut, spec, and hot dog meal, complete with mashed potatoes, buns, and cheese. Food trucks also will be selling food from 12pm to 12 am.

Kraut and wieners are just the start. Tables fill up with homemade pies at the Baptist Church, there’s a full vendor show in the Armory, and live music plays throughout the day at the Civic Center. Children can enjoy pumpkin painting, hayrides, and a petting zoo. Adults will try their chance at a $1,000 Bingo jackpot and Beerlympics, beginning at 7 pm.

The Details

Sauerkraut Day begins at 10 am with a Car Show. The free sauerkraut meal will be served from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. Kids activities are available for $5 per child. Live music will take place throughout the day, ending with a live band playing until 1 am.

“We invite everyone to come to our town, take part in the free meal and activities, shop at our local merchants, and have a great time,” says Courtney. “There’s a lot going on, and a lot of time and effort from volunteers will make this another great event.”

A hundred years of kraut, weiners, and community is no small thing. Come out on October 3 and help Wishek keep the tradition going for the next hundred years.

For more information on Sauerkraut Day, visit the Facebook page, Wishek Association of Commerce.