For our gang, one of the best things about Autumn is the Annual Brugnoli Friends and Family Krautfest (maybe you remember last year’s), and this past weekend delivered beautiful weather for our festivities!
We started with a crisp, foggy morning that included a beautiful breakfast buffet at Sandy and Bill’s, where most of the gang hung out to watch the annual Conneaut Lake Fall Festival Parade (and the rest of us served as candy passer-outers and parade marchers for our Boro Council candidate, dear “Oh Rob” Brugnoli.
After the parade, we hurried home to prepare for the Kraut-making festivities. Halupkis and Pierogies and Brauts and Dogs in Kraut simmering, while we set up stations to make 800 pounds worth of cabbage into the world’s best homemade saurkraut in the warm Autumn sunshine.
Stations were set up… and then began…
the cutting…
and the slicing and shredding…
then measuring and weighing…
(…and always time for a mother-daughter pose)…
then finally stomping and pounding.
and laughing…
and composting.
Older generations taught younger generations…
and friends taught friends.
More laughs…
lots of hugs… and giving thanks.
Pumpkins were painted…
&
Swings were swung…
and laughter filled the air.
Treasures were searched for…
and discovered.
Lots of delicious food was eaten…
and YES – these cookies consist of three amazing layers: chocolate chip cookie topped with Oreo cookie topped with brownie!
Delicious, intoxicating beverages were enjoyed.
Hot peppers were sauteed and served on fresh crusty bread by friendly “witches” and warlocks.
Families were celebrated.
We even brewed beer!
and BOWLED!
It was a day full of memories… and moments…
and people… and music…
and love… to be cherished.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 
Great pics of what looks like a FUN TIME! Thanks for letting us share in your Krautfest 🙂
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I’m glad you enjoyed. It was a simply phenomenal day and time with wonderful people and will provide so many cherished memories for years to come
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Great photos. It looks like a really great time.
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It really was – simple traditions sharing among family and friends of all generations cannot be beat 🙂
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What a wonderful and joyful event and great photo journalism!
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It was wonderful and joyful for sure – thank you for taking the time to visit 🙂
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Jodi, This is absolutely wonderful! What a beautiful photo essay–and what a wonderful picture of family, friendship, civic pride, and American life. So glad I started my morning with a trip to your krautfest!
Pam
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Awh! Tha
nk you Pam! You nailed it too – it was all of that – almost like Mayberry – haha! LOTS and LOTS of LOVE!
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wow, now that’s a fall festival Jodi!! What incredible fun!! Y’all sure know how to celebrate!!
Jenna
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Great job documenting this event, Jodi!!! Gorgeous pictures! Thank you! ❤
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Thank you Amy – glad you enjoyed – and hope it brought a little brightness to your day.
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It did. Bless you. ❤
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What a fantastic photo journey, Jodi! Loved this post! Looked like an amazingly fun time! I want to go!! 🙂
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Oh Charlie O – you would love it! Maybe next year, you and Philippe can make it a field trip and join us. I know you would be welcomed with open arms! And I do take cookies! 🙂
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Hehe!! Yay! 💜Definitely something we need to consider! We haven’t had a field trip in sooooo long! 😳lol
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Oh Charlie – I can’t even begin to tell you how much you would love Oh Rob! And Joyce loves to paint and is quite the artist. Oh the fun we could all have!
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I have Krautfest envy! Looks like a wonderful day!
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LOL! It sure was! 🙂 Thank you for visiting LaNae!
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What a beautiful family and friends occasion. The fall beings out the best in everyone. I attended an Octoberfest this weekend, lots of brauts, sauerkraut and beer!
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Sounds like you had a similarly fun time, Sharon! Yay for beautiful Fall weekends!
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wow this is beautiful!!
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Thank you – it was a wonderful, beautiful day in so many ways.
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Good times, expertly captured and generously shared – thank you! Enjoy xo
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Thank you for enjoying and appreciating Cynthia. It did take me quite a while to upload and format all the photos – haha! One is still messed up, but I gave up late last night and went to bed satisfied with it anyway. I will forever have these wonderful memories through pictures and in my mind. We are so blessed with wonderful friends and family.
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It finally came in! That looks like lots of fun! Great photos, Jodi. 🙂 Thank you for sharing.
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What fun to have a community kraut fest! My hubby is a 5th generation (well, 5th since coming to America) kraut maker. He has the equipment from his great grandfather. My FIL used to make hundreds of gallons to give to his large family. 🙂 His pork and sauerkraut dish was so good, I used to gorge myself on it. LOL!
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Wow – how fun to learn this about you Teresa! My hubby has his grandfather’s kraut cutter too – which may actually have been his father’s. Isn’t it wonderful to share and pass down these traditions. The good ole’ days sure have something special about them. Will our younger generation have these things to share from us? I hope there are some. 🙂
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Hubby will pass down the crocks, slicer, and stomper, but who knows if the kids will continue the tradition? They like kraut but I don’t know if they love it enough to want to make their own one day. :} Very cool that your hubby also has the family kraut making supplies handed down to him!
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Amazing photo journalism! Anything Brugnoli is fabulous m!
Sent from my iPhone
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As usual the pictures are great! It looks like a good time was had by all.
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We sure did 🙂
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Wow. What a great tradition! Your photos are full of life and good fun!
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Thanks Torrie! The best part is that they whole gang appreciates me running around with the camera capturing the day for our memories too. It is my “official” job and gets me out of other cabbage “duties” haha! Though I do spend a bit of time in the kitchen – a place I love to be 🙂
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Am I too old to be adopted into your family?
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NOPE Mary! the more the merrier! 🙂
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Not anonymous, me!
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You are so blessed to be surrounded by such a caring and loving group made of family, friends and community. We just celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving this week-end and it reminds us of all the blessings in our lives and all we are grateful for. You have that in abundance, Jodi!
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I am Marguerite. We all have family “stuff,” but this group is so special. And one couple is Canadian (dual citizenship). I wish I would have realized. Though I’m always huggin’ and lovin’ them anyway all the time! haha!
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WOW Jodi! Thanks for sharing all these pics! Looks like a special time with friends! You always have such amazing gatherings like something I’d see in a magazine! Maybe you could write for Country Living Mag?!!! 😊🎃🌟
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Hey Jodi thanks for sharing the photos, they are amazing. Seems like you had a great fun 👍🏼😀☺️
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This is such an amazing tradition, Jodi! It’s so wonderful to see the tradition passed on, as multiple generations work side-by-side. You captured this special time just beautifully through your lens. ♡
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What a wonderful experience! Dick and I are so privileged to have been a part of the kraut fest.
P.S. Your chocolate cookies are to die for. UMM! UMM! Lois
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Oh Lois, I’m so happy you are part of it too! I love you and Dick to pieces! xo
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Wow. That looks like it was an amazing day, Jodi. Sweet memories to be cherished, and what a wonderful job you did photographing the event.
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Thank you Sandy 🙂
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What a beautiful day full of festivities! Love the pictures!
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I’m kinda homesick for fall festivals back home on the east coast! What a wonderful time with photos to bring it all back to me. Thanks, Jodi! Chryssa
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It looks like a truly fantastic day was had by all! Halupkis! I haven’t made them in years, and He-Man’s mom made some really yummy ones. I’m sure he misses them, and his Mom who we lost almost 2 yrs ago.
I wish we had this type of event where he would be able to enjoy this stuff since it’s all stuff he grew up with and is his heritage. I imagine there’s a large Polish community there?
He-Man, and my kids are thrilled with the outcome of last night’s game. I have no clue though of what went down only that they won and it was exciting. 🙂
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This looks all so beautiful, like the Happy Ending of a Hollywood movie about American families!!! I always adore the the beautiful landscape in your pictures! Is that a lake there in the background? You live in such a beautiful spot on earth!!! 😊🌎
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Awh! How cute are you Ann! Yes – that is a lake. What part of the world do you live in?
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Frankfurt am Main, Germany, for the moment. Until this year May I lived in Dénia, Spain, and before that in Budapest, Hungary. 😊
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Wow! Amazing places I have never been and would love to see. Sounds so glamorous and exciting to me! 🙂
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LOL 😄 To me USA sounds glamorous and exciting… I guess it´s always what you can´t get easily…
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Lots of laughter in these photos which I liked seeing. Looks like you had a ball. 😀
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There sure was a lot of laughter! Laughter and LOVE! 🙂
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What a wonderful Fall celebration! You are so lucky to live in a community that does that. As for the sauerkraut making, that brought back some good memories. My mother-in-law always made her own Kraut, and we were all roped in for her day-long “Kraut making parties!”
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Mom-in-law didn’t make it quite such a festive occassion -eh? haha! I am very fortunate to have these people in my life. 🙂
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It was the best of times so beautifully chronicled in the photos and commentaries!! Love to you from
The Big Pumpkin Booo!!! Oh Rob
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Ooooooohhhhh Roooooob! xo
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Beautiful! All the love, tradition, family and friends….thank you so much for sharing.
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This looks like great fun! :O)
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