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by Petra Lessoing
Kaiserslautern American
Walkers, hikers, bicyclists and inline-skaters have a public street all to themselves Sunday.
For the 13th annual adventure day “Car-free Lauter Valley,” the federal street B270, between Kaiserslautern and Lauterecken, closes 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, Olsbruecken, Kreimbach-Kaulbach, Rutsweiler, Wolfstein, Oberweiler-Tiefenbach and Lohnweiler to Lauterecken.
More than 45 associations, institutions and communities provide entertainment along the way, including food and drinks.
In Kaiserslautern, the starting point is on Lauterstrasse near the garden fair area. Participants can make a first stop at the train station in Otterbach, where the Kaiserslautern county tourism office will have information about the area. There are children’s activities and homemade salads, bratwurst, cakes and bread is served in the yard of Volksbank, across from the train station.
First aid for people and bike repair is available in the area of the Reservists Comradeship Otterbach, at the end of the village going to Sambach. The comradeship offers pea soup and pork roast. German folk music will be played at noon and rock music at 3 p.m.
In Sambach, the local sports association provides bicycle repair help and serves steaks, potatoes and pasta salad.
In Katzweiler, hungry participants have the choice of fish, game, schwenksteaks, chicken, frikadellen, bratwurst, currywurst and regional specialties. A drive-in worship service is at
2 and 5 p.m. in the church yard.
In Hirschhorn, the local women’s club serves waffles with whipped cream and cherries.
Radio station SWR4 will have a stage in the school yard in Olsbrücken to present music with Anton from Tyrol. In Haupstrasse 61, bikers can visit an “open garden” to learn about house and garden accessories and try Italian food specialties.
A gyros station and cocktail bar will be set up on the sports field in Kreimbach-Kaulbach A goal is put up for children to test their soccer skills. They also can participate in a balloon contest.
In Rutsweiler, county representatives officially open the event at 10 a.m. The local carnival association offers live music and the Aerial Sports Club Essweiler displays an airplane. Rutsweiler celebrates its 750th anniversary this year.
In front of Wolfstein, biking endurance gets tested and back and abdominal muscles get measured. In town, there is a music band, disc jockey, children’s fun and fortune wheel. Italian dishes and schnitzel are served, and free visual tests are offered.
Pork roast and salad will be served at the playground in the next village, Oberweiler-Tiefenbach.
Carnival attractions and live music lure visitors to the community hall in Heinzenhausen.
In Lohnweiler, a bike will be raffled. On the playground, the longest salad and cake bar of the Lauter Valley will be set up.
Lauterecken is the north end of the road closure. Local clubs offer a variety of food to include Thüringer bratwurst, fish specialties, fried potatoes and cakes.
Event participants can board the Lautertal train to return to their starting location. The trains travel between Kaiserslautern and Lauterecken and train staff will help load and unload bicycles.
