Heimatfest sells mock turtle soup ahead of June 20 festival
Mock turtle soup will sell for $22 a bucket at Ferdinand Heimatfest, with pre-orders by phone and walk-up sales June 20 until sold out.
Mock turtle soup will again be one of Ferdinand Heimatfest’s most recognizable draws, sold for $22 a bucket as the festival leans on a food tradition that also raises money for local charities and civic projects. Pre-orders can be placed by calling 812-630-2839, and walk-up sales are set for Saturday, June 20, at the Hospitality Booth at the Ferdinand Community Center from 11 a.m. until sold out.
The soup sale is part of a larger weekend built around Heimatfest’s stated mission to “enable Ferdinand, Indiana to prosper by helping Dubois County grow.” The organization says it is registered as a 501(c)(3), and that the bulk of the money raised during Heimatfest weekend goes to the Ferdinand Community Endowment. It also makes a donation to the Dubois County Community Foundation’s General Fund, tying a familiar festival staple directly to countywide giving.
Best Home Furnishings is the presenting sponsor of the 2026 festival, and Heimatfest says the event is funded in part by the Dubois County Visitors Center. The committee also says it wants to grow attendance year over year and encourage visitors to think about Dubois County as a place to live and work, a goal that gives the soup sale added weight beyond nostalgia. For many families, the bucket of mock turtle soup is both an annual purchase and a sign that one of Ferdinand’s signature summer weekends has arrived.
The June 20 schedule shows how central the festival has become to the town’s summer calendar. The 5K run/walk begins at 8 a.m., the Tri-County YMCA co-ed volleyball tournament starts at 9 a.m., and the Heimatfest car show also begins at 9 a.m. Food booths open at 11 a.m., the same hour the soup sales begin, and the Backyard BBQ Contest is scheduled with a $25 team entry fee and a $5 sampling fee for individuals.
Heimatfest says vendors and events will be located at the Ferdinand Community Center, with the lineup including the Ferdinand Legion Auxiliary, Forest Park Boys Soccer, the Monastery of Immaculate Conception, and VFW Post 11365. With food, games, sports, and fundraising all packed into one day, the mock turtle soup sale remains a compact measure of what Heimatfest does best: turn a local tradition into turnout, revenue, and community identity.
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