March 29th, 2024
7th Annual Goat Fest Follows Tongue-in-Cheek Start to Summer Season
The Sister Bay Advancement Association (SBAA) has announced that the 10th Annual Roofing of the Goats Parade is scheduled for Saturday, June 8th on Hwy 42 in downtown Sister Bay.
The annual Roofing of the Goats Parade starts at 11:00 a.m. at the corner of Mill Rd. and Highway 42 and moves south to Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant, where the goats will be led up to the restaurant’s iconic green sod roof.
Comprised of skittish, short-attention-span goats from Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant and local goat owners and farmers, Sister Bay’s annual Goat Parade has become a much-anticipated beginning to the new tourism season in northern Door County.
Highway 42 is closed to all motorized traffic both immediately before and during the parade, from approximately 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon (note to parade-watchers: please don’t bring otherwise-friendly dogs to the parade, as goats are notoriously terrified of them.)
It all started with Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant, which, after a birthday prank between Wink Larson and Al Johnson, famously started putting goats on its renowned green sod roof in 1973. Today, Al Johnson’s keeps several dozen goats on a Sister Bay farm, where its goat barn features a live feed of soothing Wisconsin Public Radio broadcasts.
“Goat drop stickers” will be available at Hwy 42 roadside booths throughout Sister Bay for $10 each. The goat stickers are a fundraiser for Koinonia Kupboard, a food pantry managed by First Baptist Church of Sister Bay. If a goat poops on your sticker during the parade, you could win one of several prizes. The prize drawing will occur immediately after the parade, at Stabbur Beer Garden at Al Johnson’s. This year’s Goat Parade prizes include a special prize from New Belgium Brewing, Flanigan Distributing, and Husby’s Food & Spirits; a unique gift from Tito’s Handmade Vodka; a VIP brewery tour from 3 Sheeps Brewing Co.; and a $100 gift certificate from Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant.
This year’s Goat Parade will be followed by Al Johnson’s 7th Annual Goat Fest, at Stabbur at Al Johnson’s, the popular beer garden located next door to the restaurant at 10698 N. Bay Shore Drive. Goat Fest starts at 12 noon and will feature live music, fun kids’ games, various beverages, special food dishes, a Swedish Pancake-Eating Contest, and a highly competitive “stein holding” contest. Other downtown Sister Bay businesses are offering their own festivities and specials.
At the end of the parade, Al Johnson’s goats will be led up onto the business’s green sod roof, inaugurating yet another season of goat-watching in northern Door County. Al Johnson’s goats can then be viewed all season on the online streaming-video Goat Cam: www.aljohnsons.com/goat-cam.
