Stabbur Beer Garden at Al Johnson’s will be the site of a traditional Swedish summer celebration on August 16 at 7 pm.
Wisconsin Public Radio is hosting its first-ever Crayfish Sommerfest celebration, an event well-known throughout Sweden as a Kraftskiva. The outdoor event at Stabbur features boiled crayfish as the featured main course, plus delicious side dishes and a shot of chilled Aquavit. In Sweden, the food is often accompanied by lots of thirst-quenching cold beer.
Outdoor dining in Swedish Kraftskiva style means huge platters of the aforementioned crayfish, lively paper lanterns, protective bibs and colorful small paper hats, in addition to Scandinavian folk music and group sing-alongs. In announcing the celebration, WPR noted that Al Johnson’s is “the pinnacle of all things Swedish in Wisconsin.”
WPR will be represented at the event by its Afternoon Classics host and Central Time “Food Friday” expert Lori Skelton. Other WPR personnel in attendance will be Wisconsin Life Executive Producer Maureen McCollum, and WPR regional staff will also be in the crowd of diners at the inaugural event.
The planned menu consists of: boiled crayfish, baby dill potatoes, fresh corn, Swedish cucumber salad, assorted Swedish and Wisconsin cheeses, knäckebröd and baguette trays, Swedish cardamom shortbread with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, and a shot of chilled Aquavit. The menu is being coordinated and executed by Al Johnson’s Executive Chef Fredrik (Freddie) Bexell. (Note the menu may change slightly without notice.) Attendees can count on the attending WPR hosts and Al Johnson’s staff to show how to peel and eat the crayfish and lead the crowd in traditional Swedish songs. The Crayfish Sommerfest doors will open at 6:30 pm, dinner service begins at 7 pm.
From Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik, 10698 N. Bay Shore Drive, P.O. Box 257, Sister Bay, WI 54234; 920.854.2626; www.aljohnsons.com.