Come to the St. James Lutheran Church Annual Brats Fest!

Traditional food, entertainment, balloon rides, and much more!

Festival hours will be Friday, Aug. 1 from noon to 10 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 2 from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 3 from noon to 3 p.m.

Learn about a special performance for the kids on Sunday morning, Aug. 3rd!

St. James Lutheran Church is located off of I-70, west of Columbus, near the corner of Hilliard-Rome and Trabue roads. Free parking will be available on-site. Get directions here!

St. James Lutheran Church, 5660 Trabue Road, will host its 25th annual Brats Festival Aug. 1-3 featuring authentic German food and continuous live music throughout the event.

The festival kicks off Friday at noon with strolling musicians Ken Nicol and Mary Drake/Musik According to Accordians, followed in the evening by the Restoration Jazz/German Band.

Saturday, entertainment begins again at noon with the St. James Gang contemporary Christian music, followed by the 12-piece Oakwood Accordian Band at 1 p.m., Chris Weiss and Company concertina band at 2:30 p.m., Aaron Jackson’s Tuba 6 (OSU Tuba Band) at 3:30 p.m., and Ken Nicol and the Restoration Jazz/German Band from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

This year’s festival food will include the traditional German brats handmade according to a recipe by parishioner Gene Planck, shredded chicken and pulled pork sandwiches, German potato salad, summer salad (tomatoes, cucumbers and onions in a vinaigrette dressing), red cabbage slaw, locally grown sweet corn, hot dogs, and an assortment of desserts, including the ever-popular apple dumplings. Soft drinks, iced tea, beer and wine will be served as refreshments.

Children’s games, arts and crafts booths, an electric train set, softball and a hot air balloon launch will also be among the weekend of activities.

New to the festival this year will be a history and heritage display featuring items from the church’s past, including old statues, a 1940s-era microphone previously used to deliver sermons, an old baptismal font, the church’s former steeple, and a bygone-era communion set, to name a few of the items on display .

The Festival will wrap up on Sunday beginning with a special Sunday school program at 9 a.m. featuring a juggling clown. The Columbus Maennerchor will perform outside under the tent on Sunday at 1:30 p.m., followed by a traditional German worship service (spoken in the German language) inside the church at 2:30 p.m.

Anyone wishing to display crafts at the festival should contact the Beth Vallo at 777-6263 or Mike Walls at 777-5065. For more information about the festival, contact Festival Committee Chairman Steve Dodson at 777-7792, or the church office at 878-5158.

Proceeds from the annual Brats & Crafts Festival are used for charitable activities in the Central Ohio area. The church supports and is involved in Habitat for Humanity, the Hilliard Welfare Council, and several other local food pantries and help organizations. Throughout the years, the Brats Festival has raised approximately $236,000 to benefit these organizations.

Festival hours will be Friday, Aug. 3 from noon to 10 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 4 from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 5 from noon to 3 p.m.

St. James Lutheran Church is located off of I-70, west of Columbus, near the corner of Hilliard-Rome and Trabue roads. Free parking will be available on-site.

Discover God and his role in the value of your life.  Traditional weekly services, social activities, group Bible study, Children's Sunday school, open online discussion, and much more!  Contact us anytime with your questions, comments, or prayer requests. We'd love to hear from you!