New Vendor Craft Booth Application

Thank you for your interest in this year's Ohio Sauerkraut Festival!  Please review the information below before submitting your application.

We are a double juried festival, which means that your products must be approved by the jury committee before you are accepted and a booth can be assigned.  Once approved, a jury team will visit you during the festival to make sure that all items are handmade, and that they are the items you were approved for.

Please upload at least three photos representing you making your craft.  These photos should include your raw materials along with you making your craft so there is no doubt that your items are hand crafted.  We do not allow any manufactured or buy to resell items in your booth.  Please also send pictures of your finished product.   Only the items listed on this application are allowed into your booth during the festival.

You will be notified of the jury committee's decision through your Eventeny portal.  If accepted, there is a one-time processing fee along with your booth fee.  All booth spaces are sized 10x10, there are no exceptions, and double booths may be requested after you have been at the festival at least one year.  You must provide your own tent.

If accepted into the festival, arrangements must be made by you regarding accommodations and parking.  This is a separate cost.  We do have some local businesses listed in the vendor packet that rent parking space to festival vendors for the weekend.  The cost and arrangements are between you and the businesses directly.

All vendors must carry liability insurance of $1,000,000.  If you have insurance already, we only need a certificate of insurance showing coverage dates for the festival.  The Chamber should be named as an additional insured.  You are also able to purchase coverage for the festival weekend through Encover below. 

All vendors must have vehicles off the road by 7:00 am and be set up and ready to open by Saturday, October 10th, 2026 at 9:00am.  

GENERAL

The following general policies and guidelines for the Ohio Sauerkraut Festival have been made in an effort to maintain a standard of quality and continuity to the Festival from year to year.  It should be understood that these policies are subject to the control of the Board of Directors of the Waynesville Area Chamber of Commerce.

1. The purpose of the Ohio Sauerkraut Festival is to provide a means to maintain and further enhance the quality of life in the Waynesville community
2. The Festival shall be held the second full weekend in October of each year, and shall be promoted as an arts and crafts festival.  Games of chance, rides and all activities suggesting a carnival or circus atmosphere shall be prohibited.  The entire festival shall be directed towards family oriented activities.
3. The Waynesville Area of Commerce and the Ohio Sauerkraut Festival Committee shall have total control over the renting of all booth spaces as well as the responsibility to keep quality merchandise throughout all of the festival booths.
4. All booth spaces in the show are 10 x 10 feet.  No height of booth can extend above 11 feet.  A limited number of double booth spaces (10 x 20) are made available to existing vendors.  You can qualify to be placed on a waiting list for a double booth space only after you have been a vendor in good standing at least one year.
5. Vendors operating booths side by side with friends must operate them as independent booths and the appearance must be that they are separate.  Only merchandise that has been juried and approved may be displayed.  Each vendor should be handling their own money.  One cash register or money box taking money for more than one booth is not allowed.
6. Vendors will not create a carnival like atmosphere, this includes but is not limited to flashing lights, music that can be heard outside the booth, yelling to the crowd, use of moving items not juried to draw attention, etc.
7. All booth structures must be erected by 7:00 am on Saturday, and all motorized vehicles must be removed from the immediate festival area by 7:00 am both on Saturday and Sunday.  Any booth space not occupied before 7:00 am on Saturday will be considered vacant and the committee may rent this space to another vendor.  No refund will be made for late arrivals that do not have access to their booth.
8. All Lessees shall conduct business during all published festival hours.  Vendors may at their discretion, open and make sales one hour prior to the published show hours.  Vendors must stop all sales at the closing time published each day.
9. Vendors may not distribute any literature except: an advertisement of their business; a brochure that describes their product or the process to create the item; business cards that allow the customer to contact them in the future; or advertisements for upcoming shows where the vendor will be displaying their merchandise.
10. All vendors must display their booth number card on the front right-hand side of their booth.  You will not be juried for next year's show without the number displayed as described.  This is mandatory for many reasons, including helping emergency services find you.
11. Each Lessee shall be responsible to clean up and restore the booth space to the original condition at the conclusion of the festival.  All trash is to be placed in the dumpster nearest your booth at the close of the festival on Saturday and Sunday nights.  Use of the festival trash totes is prohibited, dumpsters must be used.  There will be a fee assessed to any booth that leaves trash or grease spills behind.  Fees will be assessed according to time taken to clean, also local and state guidelines.
12. The Lessee shall not sublease booth space to another vendor or have your products sold by others.  Such violations will result in the closing of the booth by the festival chairman.  In addition, the space will not be rented to the original Lessee for the following year's festival.
13. If the Lessee cancels this agreement, the booth rental fee will be refunded as follows:  in full if cancelled before April 1, 2026; less $50 if cancelled between April 1 and September 1, 2026; no refund for cancellations after September 1, 2026.
14. The Waynesville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Sauerkraut Festival Committee specifically retain exclusive rights to use commercial, promotional or official logos in connection with the festival including exclusive rights to sell items containing such logos.
15. The Ohio Sauerkraut Festival Committee may refuse entry or cause the withdrawal of any vendor who annoys, endangers or interferes in any way with the harmony of the festival.  In the event of removal from the festival for any reason, ALL BOOTH FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.
16. Vendors are responsible for payment of any local licenses, permits or taxes required by law.  To obtain a Warren County vendor's license, call 513-695-1240.  For information regarding Ohio sales tax, call 513-695-1215.
17. The Waynesville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Sauerkraut Festival will not be held responsible for accidental injury, theft or loss of property.
18. The Waynesville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Sauerkraut Festival reserve the right to move your booth at any given time.

ITEMS FOR SALE

1. All products sold inside the leased area will be approved by the committee.
2. All vendors will list every type of item to be sold on their application.
3. All items must be handcrafted by the vendor; commercially made items are not permissible.  We encourage as many demonstrating arts and crafts booths as possible.
   1. Embellishment of an item not handcrafted is allowed with at least 50% of the value of the items to represent work by the vendor.
   2. All types of items must be presented to the jury committee for approval.
4. All types of items to be sold or displayed in the festival must have jury committee approval.
   1. Vendor will provide a minimum of three pictures of each type of items to be sold with their application.
   2. Vendor will provide a minimum of three pictures showing them making their craft.
   3. The jury committee may at their discretion request more pictures and proof of process pictures.
   4. The jury committee may request raw material invoices addressed and billed to the vendor to support the production of an item or items that will be sold in the show.
   5. Vendors changing product lines or adding items not represented on their application must jury those items before adding them in the show.  All requests for approval must be done by September 15.
   6. Any items found not to comply with the handmade rule or not juried into the show must be removed immediately from the booth upon request from show officials.
   7. Any vendor who doesn't comply with a request to remove a product or products will be expelled from the show.
   8. Any vendor found to have a product in their booth that was removed previously will be expelled from the show.
   9. The decisions of the jury committee are final.
   10. During each show, every craft booth will be juried to make certain that only the approved items are for sale or on display in the booth.
   11. The committee does not allow marshmallow shooters or any projectiles of any type.
5. Should you change your booth merchandise, you must notify the Ohio Sauerkraut Festival and submit new photographs.  An unreported product change will result in the removal of unlisted items from your booth or the booth will be closed by the festival chairman.  If your product has not changed, your previous year's photos will be on file and new photos will not be required when you send in the next year's application.
6. No vendor will have any games of chance, raffle tickets or advertising of games of chance.

SAFETY

1. Flame retardant tents are highly recommended.
2. All craft booths are recommended to be equipped with a fire extinguisher.  Vendors who make products in their booths and use machines are required to have one.  All fire extinguishers should be 4A-60-BC and current with their inspections.
3. All pressurized cylinders must be secured and chained according to the regulations of the Ohio Safety Standard Codes.
4. All electric cords must be in accordance with the National Electric Code, defined as No. 14 gauge 3-wire cords under 100 foot and No. 12 gauge 3-wire cords over 100 foot in length.  All cords must extend from the exhibitor's booth to the outlet on the electric pole.  Cords that are plugged into each other to get to the electric source are prohibited.
5. All electric cords must remain parallel with the street and plug into the unit (boxes) provided.  If electric cords cross the sidewalk, they must be placed overhead to eliminate a tripping hazard.  Note: most craft booths are provided with electric.  Battery powered lights for your booth are suggested.  No combustible fuel source lights are permitted.  Arts and crafts booths with electricity are allowed one 100-watt light per booth.
6. Vendors are responsible for securing any sign, cabinet, shelf, display pieces, merchandise, or any other item in the booth that could fall, be knocked down, blown down or otherwise fall and injure someone.  Signs advertising your booth may not be made of metal or wood.  Northing can be displayed more than 12 inches above the front of your booth, including signs.
7. The Lessor, Sponsor, its officers and committee members shall not be responsible for and shall be held harmless from any claim of any loss, damage, or injury to any goods or property, or to any person or persons, for any reason whatsoever during the occupancy of space as provided in this agreement, or in any connection with the Ohio Sauerkraut Festival.
8. To further enhance the quality of the festival, the use of a motorized vehicle as a booth is prohibited.
9. The use of flags, signs, poles with merchandise above the tent are not allowed.
10. No electric used in the show may come from any source other than our electric system.
    1. No use of plug on streetlight.
    2. No use of generators.
    3. No use of heat producing equipment without written approval of the committee.
    4. No use of any type of heater regardless of fuel type.
11. No flammable or combustible fuels will be used in the show without a permit from the fire department.  This type of permit will only be issued to craft vendors for very small amounts to show the use of their merchandise.  Absolutely no lit candles are permitted.

ALL CRAFT VENDORS ARE REQUIRED TO CARRY LIABILITY INSURANCE

For questions, please contact the Waynesville Area Chamber of Commerce at Post Office Box 281, Waynesville, Ohio, 45068; phone 513-897-8855, or email office@waynesvilleohio.com.