Saturday Is Oktoberfest!

Get out your dirndls and lederhosen! Jeans and tee-shirts! Time to polka and have a beer! Saturday, September 25 is the annual Oktoberfest held in the Southside/Munichburg area, centered around the intersection of Dunklin and Washington Streets. (If you’re from out of town, this is the same basic area as the Ecco Lounge, Central Dairy, and the Schaefer House.)

Looks like the weather will be perfect! Click here for more festival schedule and more information.

I’ve told you about the Old Munichburg Oktoberfest before, and even shared a video with you. This festival is a fund-raiser for the Old Munichburg Association, which does all kinds of things to promote and uplift this historic “Germantown” neighborhood.

The festival goes from 10 to 6. Lots of food and vendors, authentic German dinners, two stages, vintage cars, a performance by a bona fide “strongman,” grape stomp, dachshund derby, and plenty of fun stuff for the kids—including the supremely cute “Hansel and Gretel Root Beer Garden.” And of course, a real beer garden for the grown-ups.

The Loehnig band from Hermann and the Rhineland Wurstjaegers will perform in the afternoon at the German stage; the beer garden stage will feature bluegrass and easy rock.

The official tee-shirt this year has a color reproduction of a nifty antique beer logo from C&L Wagner’s brewery, which used to stand right about where the festival is taking place.

And while you’re in the area, you can visit the newly dedicated Munichburg Corner, with its many commemorative bricks.




This year at the festival, there’s a renewed emphasis on authentic German artwork and crafts—artisans from the German Künstlerhaus (Artists House) in Hermann will be inside the Coca-Cola Community Building on Washington St. Here’s some of what you’ll see:

—Scherenschnitten, or scissors paper cutting, and you can buy intricately designed greeting cards, including Christmas cards.

—Schützenfest targets, shooting-match targets, which are elegantly painted targets to fire guns at—but you’ll want to hang these on the walls as art.

—The Friends of the Deutschheim State Historic Site will be selling imported German Christmas ornaments of fantastic design and quality—at good prices!

—There will be show of nifty antique memorabilia from Central Missouri’s historic breweries.

—Outside the Coke Building on Washington Street will be the Osage Bluff Blacksmith (look for the billowing smoke), making useful objects for sale. The blacksmiths at work will fascinate your kids!

—Next to them will be the Firehouse Woodcarvers at work carving delicate figures to delight all ages.

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Obviously, you need to go to this festival. “Get your German on”!

—I’ll see you there!