St. James Lutheran Church, 5660 Trabue Road, will host its 27th annual Brats & Crafts Festival, Aug. 6-8. The event will include German food, live polka music and dancing, more than 30 crafts vendors, children's games and an 1860s-style "base ball" game presented and played by the Ohio Village Muffins.

The early-period "base ball" game is new to the festival this year, and will be played at 2 p.m. on Saturday with a game between the Muffins and a team comprised of members of the church's softball league. An umpire, dressed in coattails, top hat and brandishing a walking cane, will ensure that players are properly attired and that the game is played according to 1860s gentleman's rules, with no cussing or spitting - and no use of the modern-day baseball glove.
Entertainment under the big tent will get underway late in the afternoon on Friday with the Restoration Jazz/German Band headlining the evening performances; the Restoration band will again be the featured act on Saturday evening. A special performance by the Hilliard Community Band will take place on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

Also performing will be the St. James Gang at noon on Saturday, followed by the Squeeze Box Society at 1 p.m., strolling musicians Ken Nicol and Mary Drake throughout the afternoon and Chris Weiss at 4:30 p.m.
Table fare will include the traditional brats, shredded chicken sandwiches, pulled pork, red cabbage, corn-on-the-cob, summer salad, soft pretzels, apple dumplings, peanut butter pie and several other desserts.

The event will conclude on Sunday with an outdoor children's Sunday School in the morning, a performance by the Columbus Maennerchor at 1:30 p.m., and the annual German Worship Service scheduled for 2:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary.
Festival hours are from 4 to 10 p.m. on Friday, noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Admission and parking are free; food, beer and beverages are sold a la carte.

Money raised from the event benefits local charities. For more information, contact us here, call the church office at 614-878-5158, or call Brats Festival Chairman Steve Dodson at 614-777-7792.

“Patchwork Pear” Sunday, August 8th at 9:15 am Sunday School-- Under the Big Top Tent--Returning for a fourth year, Mat Emerick and his wife Deb are coming all the way from Grand Rapids, Michigan. They will excite and charm an audience with comedic juggling, and stories that lift the soul to the Glory of Jesus Christ. Mat juggles a variety of objects (beanbags, balls, rings, clubs, and basketballs), balances on a “rolla bolla” (a board on a cylinder), walks on his hands and more. Mat also does a style of mime and clown that is infused with the spirit of great silent movie comedians like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Deb does the music and adds to the story telling. Come join us Sunday morning August 8 for this exciting event. Christian fun for the whole family! Mat will also be our guest at the Brats Festival on Saturday evening, August 7th with a strolling performance from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. This is really Mat’s forte as he uses a combination of juggling, mime, clowning and storytelling all into one.


Mini-Retreat/Apple Dumpling Making/Canoeing/Kayaking all rolled into one fun weekend—July 30 and 31. Youth members are invited to join together for this adventurous retreat. We will begin at 6:30 pm with dinner at church, devotionals exercises, and the teambuilding activities. Wake up to a breakfast and then have fun making the traditional Brats Festival Apple Dumplings. Use the peelers, make dough, roll dough, form the dumplings, or fill them and 1500 and some dumpling later we may be done. The late afternoon will be filled with a trip to Trapper Johns’ Canoe Livery. Who will get stuck on the rapids? Who will be the first to be helped into the water? Who can conquer the rope swing? Who can paddle backwards? And how do you get back into the canoe after falling out? Spiders in the canoe? A canoe floating down the rapids with no passengers? To reserve your spot for this overnight event, please contact Lesa Kuebler by July 26. There will be a $10 fee for each youth participant unless you worked the COBRA pancake breakfast.