Remember Kettle Kountry Kolors in Kewaskum?

Kewaskum, WI – As knots of fall reds and yellows begin to dot the local landscape some neighbors are remembering Kettle Kountry Kolors?

The seasonal fall festival at River Hill Park, celebrated the colors of the Kettle Moraine.

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The event was started in 1988 by Lanna Kuehl and Lee Kempf who were members of the Kewaskum Area Chamber of Commerce.

Over the years there were attractions like the Buckskinners group that dressed in deer hides and camped out in teepees by the river. One year, temps got so cold it snowed. But they were hardy folk and survived the night.

There were traditional favorites like Indian fry bread, and do you remember the guy with the big beard and a belly to match and he’d take meatballs and roll them in breading and then fry them up in a pot over a campfire. He called them ‘cannonballs’ or ‘belly rocks’ or something woodsy and authentic.

The last two years of the festival were organized by a group called Friends of Kewaskum.

The last time Kettle Kountry Kolors was held was October 2006.

The demise of Kettle Kountry Kolors was blamed on two things including a lack of volunteers and a price increase for the Buckskinners encampment.

September 2007

NO KETTLE KOUNTRY KOLORS THIS YEAR IN KEWASKUM…
There will be no Kettle Kountry Kolors in Kewaskum this year. The seasonal fall festival which highlighted the colors of the Kettle Moraine was cancelled because of a lack of volunteers.

The event, normally held at Riverhill Park the second week in October, was started 18 years ago by Lanna Kuehl and Lee Kempf who were members of the Kewaskum Area Chamber of Commerce. Over the past two years a new group Friends of Kewaskum organized the fest.
“I’m hoping someone will eventually take it over,” said Kuehl who has heard rumors to that effect, but nothing concrete. “The phone calls I’ve received about the event this year have been phenomenal,” said Kuehl who has been fielding up to six telephone calls a day asking whether the event will be held this year.

Kuehl said the event is very time consuming. “I’ve come to an age in my life where I just can’t do it anymore and when the volunteer work starts interfering with your regular business you just have to know when to stop.”

Business owners around Kewaskum admit they are going to feel the effects of the loss of the tourism dollars. “We had people from all over the state coming to that event,” said Chamber member Chris Jung who owns the Candy Tree in Kewaskum. “People would have stopped for gas, stopped at Piggly Wiggly on the way home for something to eat; so as a community overall we’re losing.”

Scott Sadownikow, who volunteered at the Chamber’s Steak Stand last year admitted it is difficult to get people to help. “Just getting volunteers and the organization is such a tough task. Last year was difficult because it was so darn cold and turnout was poor. I think there
were more vendors then folks checking it out,” said Sadownikow who felt the event is so unique, there has to be a way to make it work.

“You have a lot of festivals in Wisconsin, especially in the summer and once you get to fall there’s not that much out there,” he said.

On a positive note, the annual KEY’s Scholarship run benefitting Kewaskum High School will still take place. Jerry Gosa, President of KEYS’s (Kewaskum Youth scholarships), said this will be the 14th annual run. “Last year we had about 800 runners and raised around $23,000 for local high school graduates.”

When Gosa heard Kettle Kountry Kolors had been cancelled, his initial reaction was he ‘hoped this wouldn’t stop people from coming to do the run.’ Gosa is fielding calls asking whether the run is ‘still on’ and he said the KEY’s group is making more of an effort to publicize the event in newspapers and on sandwich boards.

As far as the future of Kettle Kountry Kolors, Gosa thought a break this year might bring new life to the event. “I think people will miss it and it’ll be my hope that people will want to reestablish this and maybe someone else will come forward to help do this again,” he said.

The KEY’s 5K run / walk is slated for 11 a.m. Sunday October 14th at Riverhill Park. T-shirts this year are washed out green in color with white retro lettering. Gosa is hoping last years winner, Bethany Brewster participates. Brewster just took first place in the Briggs and Al’s Run and Walk for Children’s Hospital.