FOND DU LAC – It’s almost Oktoberfest and fall vendor fair season in Fond du Lac.
Local crafters, musicians and other artists will be featured at many festivals the next two months, including Fond du Lac’s popular Fondue Fest, the third annual Fondy FallToberfest and several smaller events across the county.
Here are 11 events to check out in the Fond du Lac area this fall.
Fondue Fest
Fondue Fest, downtown Fond du Lac’s free summer festival, kicks off fall activities at 9 a.m. Sept. 6 with cheese and chocolate fondue, plus music, vendors, a Kids’ Zone and more.
A classic car show will set up on East Second Street, and the Fond du Lac Festivals Fondue Feast challenges nine participants to speed-eating four rounds of super-sized food from local businesses.
This year’s limited-edition Lakefront Brewery “Fondue Brew” is Caramel Coffee Stout.
Volksfest
Waupun’s Volksfest is one of the first local Oktoberfest events of the season, filling Tanner Park with food, music, beer and wine flights and more Sept. 12 and 13. New this year is a car show Sept. 13, sponsored by My Property Shoppe.
After a Kiwanis pancake breakfast Sept. 13, Fox Lake Snowmobile Club will provide food for the main day’s festivities, while Pella Lutheran Church will take care of dessert.
Music includes the Waupun High School band, Carol and the Keynotes, and The Mark Jirikovec Band, and other entertainment includes Hammerschlagen contests and a beer stein holding contest.
Haentze Fall Festival
Fall plants like mums are ready at Haentze Floral Co., 658 Fond du Lac Ave., as the shop gets ready to host its third annual Fall Festival & Pop Up Market from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 13.
Alongside a selection of vendors, the store will have an assortment of fall plants, along with corn stalks, hay bales, pumpkins and more. There will also be a fresh flower bar for attendees to create their own fall bouquet.
The event also includes free popcorn and cider, as well as pumpkin painting for the kids.
Fall Harvest Craft and Vendor Fair
The Cow Palace at the Fond du Lac County Fairgrounds, 520 Fond du Lac Ave., will be home to the Fall Harvest Craft and Vendor Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 13, featuring vendors, donation-based raffles and food trucks.
Vendors include crafts, apparel, candles, handmade home goods and more.
Fondy Food Truck Festival and Art Fair
The fall Fondy Food Truck Festival will kick off at 11 a.m. Sept. 21 at Lakeside Park, including the Fond du Lac Artists’ Association art fair.
Almost 40 food trucks will be on Oven Island, including Eaton BBQ, Tasty Thai, Tria Frog Treats, Romeros Tacos, E&A’s European Grill, Inferno Heat Hibachi, Caribbean Taste, Busted Spud and The Cookie Crate. Fondy Softball Association will sell canned beer, seltzers and soda, while Friends of Lakeside Park will offer $1 water.
D. Willy & the Souvenirs will provide live music, joining other activities like giant stilt walkers, bounce houses, Whisper Hills Petting Zoo, rock painting, a photo booth, caricature artist, facepainting, balloon twisting and more. Several nonprofit groups include Fond du Lac County United Way, The Arc FDL, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Fond du Lac County, Fond du Lac Humane Society, Critter Junction Small Pet Rescue, Sandi Paws Rescue and Lucky Dog Small Breed Rescue.
Fond du Lac Beer Company Oktoberfest
The inaugural Oktoberfest event at Fond du Lac Beer Company, 21 Fourth St., will run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sept. 20.
So far, the event will include live music, seasonal beer specials and classic Oktoberfest food. More information will be announced as it becomes available on the Fond du Lac Beer Company Facebook page.
Hoya Hop House Brewing 920 Fest
Hoya Hop House Brewing, 514 E. Main St. in Waupun, will introduce its first 920 Fest Sept. 20, celebrating everything that makes the 920 area code zone special with beer, food and music. Community vendors will also feature their own spin on what makes the area unique.
“Come out, bring your friends, and let’s raise a glass to the place we call home,” the Facebook event listing reads.
Harvest to Holiday Shopping Season hits three communities
Three weekends will be dedicated to shopping in the area, which Destination Lake Winnebago Region dubs the Harvest to Holiday Shopping Season.
Lake Winnebago’s east shore communities kick off the season Sept. 25 to 27, inviting participants to visit the local shops, restaurants, wineries and more in eastern Fond du Lac County into Calumet County. Local participating businesses include Just Fare Market and Urban Fuel Coffee Station in Fond du Lac; Airy Point Farms in St. Cloud; and LaClare Creamery, Paula’s Pub & Grill and Ziegler Winery in Malone.
The event will come to Waupun’s Main Street Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, then Fond du Lac’s downtown Nov. 6 to 8.
Participating businesses will have specials for the event, and visitors can stamp their shopping passports for a chance to win a $50 gift card to their choice of one of the businesses.
For more information and downloadable passports once each event gets closer, visit fdl.com.
Knuth Brewing Company Oktoberfest
Knuth Brewing Company, 230 Watson St. in Ripon, will present its Oktoberfest event Oct. 4.
“Our award-winning Marzen will be flowin’, the pretzels will be bakin’, the hammers will be schlagen and the steins will definitely be holdin,'” the Facebook event listing reads.
Live music will feature Carol and the Keynotes and 2/5ths Party Band.
Fondy FallToberfest
Fond du Lac Festivals will bring back Fondy FallToberfest Oct. 11 on Lakeside Park’s Oven Island with Oktoberfest-themed activities and live music.
New this year is the Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off, with the Wisconsin Giant Pumpkin Growers Association and other event partners weighing pumpkins to see if Fond du Lac gets a state or world record this year.
Family-friendly activities include horse-drawn wagon rides, pumpkin catapult launching, trunk or treat, a giant leaf pit and more. Adults get access to a beer garden with a secret beer menu, ax-throwing, Hammerschlagen and Masskrugstemmen.
Ripon Main Street Day
The 40th annual Ripon Main Street Day celebrates the city Oct. 18 with a festival spanning Main Street from Acacia Avenue to Industrial Avenue in Ripon.
The event features live music, a car show, an antique fair, Ripon Library book sale, the Ripon Unified School District Family Fun Color Run, a kids’ zone, a petting zoo, local vendors and food, including a Ripon Fire District pancake breakfast. Additionally, sign-ups are available for the pet costume parade.
Daphne Lemke is the Streetwise reporter for the Fond du Lac Reporter. Contact her at dlemke@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Where to find an Oktoberfest event or vendor fair in the Fond du Lac area this fall? Here are 11 ideas
Reporting by Daphne Lemke, Fond du Lac Reporter / Fond du Lac Reporter
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