2010 Buttons Available

Warrens Cranberry Festival has chosen a design for the 38th annual festival. The button features white lettering circling the button on a green background, with cranberries and vines surrounding “2010.”

The 2010 buttons are $1 each and can be purchased at F&M Bank, Warrens Mall, Quilting Plus and the Cranberry Festival office in Warrens. Buttons are available in Tomah at the Chamber of Commerce, Phillips Pharmacy, J&R Variety, Cranberry Country Mall and the Antique Mall.

Area youth groups are encouraged to sell the buttons as a fundraiser. Call the Cranberry Festival office at 608-378-4200 for details.

The 2011 button design contest rules are currently available. The deadline for entries is June 1, and the winning button will be unveiled at the 2010 Cranfest, to be held Sept. 24-26. Rules are available online at www.cranfest.com, or call 608-378-4200.

National Popcorn Day

Today is national popcorn day! Celebrate by trying this crunchy cranberry popcorn recipe from Taste of Home.

Cranberry Popcorn Deluxe

Ingredients

• 8 cups air-popped popcorn
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup pecan halves
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

In a shallow roasting pan, combine the popcorn, cranberries, almonds and pecans. In a small saucepan, combine the honey, butter and syrup. Cook and stir over medium heat until butter is melted. Remove from the heat; stir in extract. Drizzle over popcorn mixture and toss to coat. Bake at 325° for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, stirring occasionally. Store in an airtight container. Yields 8 cups.

Nutrition Facts: 1/2 cup equals 96 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 6 mg cholesterol, 16 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 fat.

Photo by Taste of Home.

Vendor Forms Now Available

2010 arts & craft and flea market/antique forms are now available at cranfest.com. Below are some notes to keep in mind when applying.

Arts & Craft applications

• A copy of your Wisconsin Sales Tax Permit is required with all applications. Visit the Wisconsin Dept. of Revenue site for more information.
  
• Deadline for applications is May 1, 2010.
  
• Cranfest reserves the right to accept or reject any application due to available space and merchandise sold.
• All arts & craft spaces are 10x10-feet. You may apply for more than one booth to add space as needed, but can have no more than 2 spaces in one location.
• Booth fee is $300 per 10x10-foot space plus a $25 sanitation fee.
  
• All items must be handmade to qualify for an arts & craft space. Buy & sell vendors may apply using the arts & craft application, but they must note they are applying for buy & sell on the application.

Flea Market/Antique applications

• A copy of your Wisconsin Sales Tax Permit is required with all applications. Visit the Wisconsin Dept. of Revenue site for more information.
  
• Deadline to apply is May 1, 2010.
  
• Booth prices are $7.50 per frontage foot up to 30 feet, or $8.00 per frontage foot for anything exceeding 30 feet. A $25 sanitation fee is also required.
  
• Cranfest reserves the right to accept or reject any application due to space available or merchandise sold.
• All booth spaces are 18 feet deep. You pay for the amount of frontage.

January Cranfest Scoop

The January 2010 edition of the Cranfest Scoop is now available online.

In this issue, you'll find details about 2010 meetings and royalty news. Also read about the first annual Warrens Community Christmas and Hope for the Holidays. We had a great turnout! Check out the cranberry punch recipe, and take a look at this year's beautification grant and membership forms.

2010 Bus Reservation Forms

2010 bus reservation forms for Cranfest are now available online. This year's festival will be held September 24-26, and booths open at 7 a.m. each day.

Tour buses can park at the festival for $30 per bus. Please advise potential passengers that the
Warrens Cranberry Festival covers many acres, and that a considerable amount of walking will be required of festival guests. There are currently no wheel chair or scooter rentals on the grounds at this time.

On Friday and Saturday of the festival, tour buses can request a step-on guide to take them on a
cranberry marsh tour. Guests will have the opportunity to learn about the history of cranberry production and catch an up-close glimpse at an actual cranberry bog. A step-on guide tour is available for $6 per person on the bus, excluding the tour guide and the bus driver, in addition to the $30 parking fee. If you choose this option, your tour will be held when you arrive at the festival. The deadline for step-on guide requests and payment is September 1, 2010. Step-on guide tours will not be available after this date.

If the entire bus does not wish to take a marsh tour, individual marsh tours are available for $6 per person at the Municipal Building in Warrens. Step-on guide tours and individual tours are held Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tours leave every 15 minutes and last about one hour.

Sunday buses must arrive by 8:30 a.m. Buses arriving on this day should plan on staying until after the parade (approximately 3 p.m.) for traffic reasons. No marsh tours or step-on guides are available on Sunday.

If your bus company is interested in attending the festival, please return the reservation form and check to the festival office by September 1, 2010. The festival does not take credit cards at this time. To ensure your bus will be able to park at the festival, please enclose your check with the form. Unpaid buses will not be able to park until payment has been arranged.

If you have further questions about buses at the festival, please contact the festival office at
608-378-4200 or office@cranfest.com.

We look forward to seeing you at the festival!