COME JOIN THE FUN AT OUR FESTIVALS !

Reedsburg is a community that likes to celebrate and have fun, and we have four great seasons to do it!  We are truly a city of festivals – six in all, and they each offer something different to the people who come out and participate in them.  We’re sure there is one meant just for you – so come on out and enjoy!

FROSTY FEST:   This February festival is meant to help you shake those winter blues!  Just when cabin fever is starting to set in, Frosty Fest comes to the rescue.  This three day event is typically held the Friday, Saturday and Sunday nearest Valentine’s Day, and is intended for singles, couples and families to get out and do something.  Events have included both indoor and outdoor activities, such as snowshoeing, cross country skiing, a two mile fun run, ice skating, snowman building contests and winter golf, as well as scavenger hunts, card and game parties, chocolate tastings, scrapbooking and a talent show.   Of course, the signature event is “Buttertown Showdown” – Reedsburg’s own game show extraordinaire!   Think of Family Feud strategy, Minute to Win It contests and Let’s Make a Deal costumes! Most events for Frosty Fest are free or very affordable, and are held throughout the community at various locations.    Bring the whole family!

VET FEST:  Our April “festival” celebrates activity and healthy living, and features a half marathon through the scenic Reedsburg area, a 5K run/walk, or a 1 mile walk.  The first two Vet Fest race days drew over 700 participants each, and it is growing in popularity and is widely recognized as a very well-organized “foot festival”!  If running or walking is your passion, you won’t want to miss Vet Fest!

BUTTERFEST:   Not many communities can lay claim to having been the “Butter Capital of the World”, but in the late sixties, seventies and into the eighties, Reedsburg was just that!  One of our local milk plants produced more butter than any other place in the world, and our 40-year old Butter Festival was born!    Butterfest is one of the great traditions of Reedsburg, and is organized by a dedicated group of volunteers who, for one week in June, (Dairy month – of course!) pull together an old-fashioned festival consisting of the Miss Reedsburg contest, tractor pulls, arts and craft show, demo derby, live music in the beer tent, carnival and concessions, a Saturday parade and famous chicken barbeque!   Great family fun!

FREEDOM FEST:   Our newest festival which takes place right on the Fourth of July is a celebration and tribute to America and the people who settled it and fought for our right to be free!  It begins at noon with a special “Day on the Farm” event at the Reedsburg Area Historical Society’s Pioneer Log Village, which is located just two miles east of Reedsburg on State Hwy. 33.  Here you will experience life as it was in the mid-1800’s, as demonstrators show you how to shoe horses, chop wood, churn butter,  spin wool, work with oxen and more!.  Located on the site and open for tours are several authentic log cabins that were once used by families in the area, along with a general store, country school, blacksmith shop and church.  Following that, activities move into Reedsburg to the Nishan Park area, where food vendors, kid’s games and live entertainment will keep the family busy from 4:00 pm until dusk.  At 6:00 pm, there will be a Service of Remembrance at the Veteran’s Memorial in the park, and that will be followed by a Concert in the Park from 6:30 - 8:30 pm.  A grand Fireworks Display will top off the evening once darkness rolls in and the celebration of our nation’s birth concludes!  

HARVEST FEST:  Celebrating the bounty of the season, Harvest Fest in Reedsburg is an event not to be missed!  Held the first Saturday of October, you will find a great craft show and hot chili waiting for you at the Fire Department, a demolition derby at Nishan Park, a children’s theater show at the CAL Center auditorium, duck races on Plenke’s Pond, inflatable toys and games for kids in downtown Reedsburg and horse and wagon rides to get you around the area!   Come spend the day in Reedsburg amid the pumpkin and scarecrow decorations, tasty hot cider and warm hospitality!   You’ll be glad you did!

FERMENTATION FEST:   Reedsburg is bubbling over with opportunities to taste, see, learn and explore!    Join us for Fermentation Fest – A Live Culture Convergence, which will be held on October 12-21, 2012!  This is a food and farming festival with a focus on fermentation… and fun!   From bread baking, beer making, and chocolate tasting, you will have a chance to try it!  Fermentation Fest is loaded with tastings, demonstrations, cooking classes, brewing seminars, farm tours, and a one-of-a-kind self-guided art tour!  Fermentation is FUN, and we will show you with sessions like “Powerkraut”, “The Buzz about Beekeeeping”, “In a Pickle or a Jam” and “The Secret Life of Chocolate”.  You also won’t want to miss the amazing Farm Art DTour, which is a 50 mile scenic driving tour along the back roads of rural Sauk County.  Enjoy the scenic views as you travel along the way, where you will see working farm fields punctuated with imaginative farm-based Art Installations, informational Field Notes, and Roadside Culture Stands selling farm-fresh produce.   You might also just happen upon a Pasture Performance, which will feature poets, musicians, dancers and other artists.  Don’t miss this fantastic fall festival!

Clink on a link for details and more information

Butter Festival.  June 10-16, 2013

Freedom Fest.  July 4, 2013

Fermentation Fest.  October 4-12, 2013