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The 18th car-free adventure day, called “Car-free Lauter Valley,” will officially open at 10 a.m. Sunday in Sulzbachtal. Each year on the first Sunday in August, a part of federal street B270 turns 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 food and beverage stations.
In Kaiserslautern, the road closure will start on Lauterstrasse near the Gartenschau area. A biker’s meeting point featuring a beer garden, live music, food and drinks will be set up next to the car dealerships on Lauterstrasse 117.
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 center and the park-and-ride parking lot. There also will be music and children’s activities. 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.
Along Hauptstrasse in Katzweiler, various food booths will serve Palatinate, American and Italian dishes as well as homemade cakes. There will be music, children’s activities and another bike repair station. The trout farm will offer guided tours and boat rides on the pond.
In Hirschhorn, people can join the Drum Circle and try to play the drums. There will be a book flea market, and local clubs will serve gyros, wurst salad with home fries and waffles. The Association for Environment and Nature Protection will offer organic food.
In Sulzbachtaltal, children’s activities will feature a duck race on the Sulzbach Creek. The historical bell tower from the 19th century will be open for visits and guided tours. Bikes can be repaired here if needed.
Regional tourist offices will provide information on the area.
Olsbrücken will offer a worship service in its Protestant church at 10:30 a.m. Interesting bikers can get the new map of “Biking, hiking and Nordic walking in the Westpfalz,” and learn about the night watch man.
In Kreimbach-Kaulbach, hungry walkers, skaters and bikers will have the choice of pasta and pea soup.
On the sports field outside the village along B270, a bikers’ breakfast with eggs and bacon will be served. There also will be Italian salad, frikadellen, bratwurst and gyros with tzaziki.
In Rutsweiler, local associations offer more live music, pork roast, homemade cakes and waffles.
Near the public swimming pool in Wolfstein, Dutch food specialties will be served. Entrance to the pool will be free. The local lime mine will offer guided tours from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Information, food and beverages, and face painting for children will also be available.
The band Just in Time will perform in Oberweiler-Tiefenbach. There will be a tent with food and beverage specialties and bathrooms with a baby changing room.
Heinzenhausen will have its annual village carnival with some rides, sweets, food and live music.
In Lohnweiler, the longest cake counter of the Lauter Valley will be set up on the festival grounds.
Lauterecken will be the north end of the road closure. The local fishing club will offer fish and salmon brőtchen and other clubs will serve scrambled eggs with home fries, fish and barbecue specialties.
Bicyclists having problems with their bikes will find another repair station.
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 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 Kaiserslautern Military Community Center, call them at 06371-406-208 or email kmcc@infocenter-ramstein.de. For more information, visit www.urlaub-kaiserslautern.de.
