Alpine Kiwanis Club to sell its inventory of brats, hot dogs and more after cancellation of Brat Days

July 15, 2025|By Kevin Haas|In Rock River Current, News, 815 News, Local, Rockford, Top Stories, Featured

Brats on the grill Friday, July 12, 2024, during Alpine Kiwanis Brat Days in Loves Park. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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LOVES PARK — Alpine Kiwanis Club said Tuesday that it will sell its packages of brats, hot dogs and other food after storms last week forced the cancellation of the annual Brat Days fundraiser.

The storm, which swept through Brat Days locations in Loves Park and Cherry Valley, damaged tents, cooking equipment and supplies. Organizers said the damage was too severe to reschedule the event for this year. No one from the nonprofit was injured in the storm.

Now, it will sell packages of frozen brats and hot dogs, as well as veggie barbecue, Mrs. Fisher’s chips and cookies. (Prices below) The sale will happen from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, July 18, and Saturday, July 19 at Blain’s Farm & Fleet, 7300 E. Riverside Blvd.

“These Johnsonville brats and hot dogs cannot be purchased in stores and are made by Johnsonville exclusively for our Brat Days,” Alpine Kiwanis Club said in a news release. “They are precooked, frozen and ready to brown and serve.”

The club had roughly 29,000 brats in storage with Woodman’s when the storms came through Thursday evening and caused extensive damage to the Brat Days sites. It previously donated buns to a variety of local nonprofits including the Rock River Valley Food Pantry.

There is no ticket redemption as part of this sale. Payments can be made with cash or a credit card.

Alpine Kiwanis Club said proceeds from the sale will allow it to continue financially supporting local nonprofits as best its can with limited funds.

“It’s a win-win, buy some delicious Johnsonville brats, hot dogs and Mrs. Fisher’s Chips and support our club’s efforts to continue our mission of serving the children, youth, elderly and disabled in our community,” the nonprofit said in a news release.

This was the first time in the 54 years of the fundraiser that a storm had forced the cancellation of the event. Last week, it asked the people who bought thousands of tickets in advance to consider allowing that purchase to serve as a donation, rather than requesting a refund. It also sought donations to help make up for its losses.

“We are truly grateful for the contributions from the community that have provided sponsorships, donations, both in-kind and monetary, and to the many volunteers that have given their time and energy to assist with the clean-up efforts at both sites,” the group said in its statement. “The generosity and kindness shown by many has been overwhelming. We cannot thank the community enough.”