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The 16th car-free adventure day called “Car-free Lauter Valley” takes place Sunday. Each year, the first Sunday in August, a part of federal street B270 will turn into a fun place for walkers, hikers, bicyclists and inline-skaters. Between Kaiserslautern and Lauterecken, B270 will close to motorized traffic, horse carriages and horseback riders from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The 35-kilometer route winds through the Lauter Valley from Kaiserslautern on to Otterbach, Sambach, Katzweiler, Hirschhorn, Olsbrücken, Kreimbach-Kaulbach, Rutsweiler, Wolfstein, Oberweiler-Tiefenbach and Lohnweiler to Lauterecken.
More than 50 associations, institutions and communities will provide an entertaining program and set up eating and drinking locations.
In Kaiserslautern, the road closure will start on Lauterstrasse near the Gartenschau area with live music, food and beverages.
At the corner of Erzhütter Strasse, children can have fun in a bouncing castle and young and old can test their soccer skills trying to shoot goals.
The band Blue Mace will perform rhythm and blues combined with funk and rock.
In Otterbach, hungry travelers will find a variety of food specialties such as hamburgers, pork steaks, salads, sausages, sandwiches, cakes and waffles.
At the train station, the tourist office of the county of Kaiserslautern will provide information about the area. The little switch tower museum near the railroad crossing (direction Erfenbach) will offer free guided tours. The Reservists Comradeship Otterbach will serve food from the field kitchen at the Red Cross area at the end of the village going to Sambach. Here, participants will find a bicycle repair station and a first aid station run by the Red Cross.
Along Hauptstrasse in Katzweiler, various food booths will serve Palatinate dishes, schnitzel, schwenksteaks, salads, fish and game specialties and Italian ice cream. A drive-in worship service will be at 2 and 4 p.m. in the yard of the Protestant church.
Leaving Katzweiler, at the intersection of federal road B270 and county road L388, scenic helicopter flights will be offered.
In Hirschhorn, the Kaiserslautern Reservist Comradeship will have an information booth and serve Army stew.
In Sulzbachtaltal, children’s activities will feature a duck race on the Sulzbach river.
Another tourist information booth can be found in the next village, Olsbrücken. Interesting bikers can get the new map of “biking in the western palatinate,” or learn about the night watch man. An ecumenical worship service will begin at 10:30 a.m. near the village fountain.
The Kreimbach-Kaulbach gun club will give people the change to test their shooting skills. The local sports club will serve a bikers’ breakfast and ask young and old to participate in games and sports activities.
In Rutsweiler, local associations will offer more live music, food and beverages. Near the public swimming pool in Wolfstein, Dutch fish specialties will be served. The local lime mine will offer guided tours.
The band Just in time will perform in Oberweiler-Tiefenbach and a raffle can be joined at Reckweilerhof.
Heinzenhausen will have its annual village carnival with some rides, sweets, food and live music.
In Lohnweiler, the longest salad and cake bar of the Lauter Valley will be set up on the soccer field.
Lauterecken will be the north end of the road closure.
Bicyclists having problems with their bikes will find bike repair stations in Otterbach, Katzweiler and Sulzbachtal.
Event participants can board the Lautertal train at any train station to get back to their starting location. The trains travel between Kaiserslautern and Lauterecken. Train staff is available to help to load and unload bicycles. The transportation of bicycles is free.
To get the flyer and program in English, stop at the Window to Rheinland-Pfalz Ramstein Gateway in the KMCC, call them at 06371-406-208 or e-mail kmcc@infocenter-ramstein.de. For more information visit www.kaiserslautern-kreis.de/aktuelles/Autofreis%20Lautertal.pdf.
