Sprankle’s Octoberfest moving to new Jefferson Township home in 2024
JEFFERSON TWP — Sprankle’s Octoberfest is moving to a new home in September.
On Tuesday, Jan. 16, Doug Sprankle — organizer of Octoberfest and owner of Sprankle’s Neighborhood Market in Saxonburg — shared that he had purchased a 39.4-acre parcel of land just off Riemer Road in Jefferson Township in November.
Sprankle said he was working toward closing on the property while last year’s Octoberfest, an annual Saxonburg event since 2019, was in progress.
“We have a long history of agriculture on my dad's side, and we want to continue that culture,” Sprankle said. “We saw an opportunity to do those things with the new grounds.”
According to Butler County property records, the previous owner was America First Enterprises LLP, who sold it to “Doulin LLC,” operated by Doug and Linda Sprankle — for $650,000.
Work has already begun on turning the property — which Doug is calling “Sprankle Woods” — into a suitable site for events. So far, that work has mainly consisted of clearing away shrubbery and dead trees.
“We’ve removed what they call ‘dead standing trees’ or ‘dead fallen trees.’ We’ve removed anything that would be harmful to guests or people working on the property,” Sprankle said. “We’ve focused mostly on making it pretty again, and we’ll go from there.”
Those who attend the 2024 Octoberfest can expect to see plenty of temporary structures in place, as there isn’t sufficient time to put in anything more permanent. However, Sprankle is hoping to exploit the setting of his new location to make every future Octoberfest a memorable event.
“We’re planning to try to maximize the natural beauty of the property through the forest and through the fields,” Sprankle said.
For Sprankle, one upside of moving to its new location is Jefferson Township has no zoning ordinance on its books. However, Sprankle will still have to submit obstruction and encroachment permits to the Butler County Conservation District.
“We will work with the (Jefferson Township) planning commission as things arise to make sure that we’re good neighbors,” Sprankle said.
Despite the move, Sprankle said that he is not intending to compete with any of Saxonburg’s already-established annual events, such as its arts festival. Sprankle Woods is located only a five-minute drive from the previous Octoberfest site at the Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Company grounds.
“We don’t plan on competing with local Saxonburg and/or businesses,” Sprankle said. “Anything we do is going to be what we create.”
The next Sprankle’s Octoberfest is scheduled for Sept. 6 through 8. Sprankle is already seeking vendors for the event.
