GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – An apple harvest festival that sparked a federal lawsuit between the Oneida Nation and the Village of Hobart will go on as scheduled this weekend.
Tuesday in federal court, a judge declined to issue a temporary injunction against Hobart officials from enforcing an ordinance requiring a special permit for events such as Oneida’s Big Apple Fest.
According to the ordinance passed this spring, organizers of certain events without permits could be jailed up to 90 days and fined up to $10,000.
However, the tribe filed a lawsuit in federal court, arguing that since the event is being held on land held in federal trust, the village’s ordinance doesn’t apply.
In court Tuesday, village leaders said the event could cause traffic issues, but they had no intention of stopping the event and would not intervene with law enforcement.
Oneida Nation officials claimed that traffic issues had been dealt with and that they wouldn’t be able to run the festival properly with the threat of a fine looming.
The judge said Hobart could issue a citation after Big Apple Fest if it wanted to and it would be dealt with at a later time.
Big Apple Fest is scheduled for 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at Oneida Cultural Heritage, 3703 Hillcrest Dr.
