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Oktoberfest: A ‘gute zeit’ for the whole family

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As you and your family enjoy Oktoberfest on St. Feriole Island Saturday, you will likely see and hear the festive presence of Fred Isaak, accordion player for River City Ruckus, one of the bands performing again this year. You can find him, along with plenty of activities, and authentic German food and beer, under the big top tent in the Memorial Gardens. (Courier Press file photo)

“Bunny,” the French bulldog, attracted plenty of children wanting to pet the cute puppy, who was one of the winners of the 2015 Oktoberfest canine costume contest.

By Correne Martin

Talk about authentic German cuisine! The 2015 Oktoberfest crowd devoured 435 brats, 240 pork loins, 120 jumbo hot dogs, 80 knackwurst, 150 soft jumbo pretzels, 180 bread pudding muffins, 108 pumpkin bars and 12 loaves of German bread. Plus, over 2,000 attendees consumed limitless pints of German beers.

To help provide such a “gute zeit” for event-goers of all ages, 15 committee members plan and organize Oktoberfest, along with assistance from more than 40 volunteers, working on 17 different activities offered at this true family affair.

“What sets us apart from other Oktoberfests is that we want it to be family-oriented. We want to have authentic foods and beers, music and activities for the whole family,” declared Mike Ulrich, Prairie du Chien parks and recreation director.

The 2016 Oktoberfest will take place Saturday, Oct. 15, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., beginning with a parade in downtown Prairie du Chien with all activities to follow at the St. Feriole Island Memorial Gardens.

Once again this year, the food and drinks are back with a bona fide punch.

The soft pretzels, which were a big hit last year and ran out within two hours, have been ordered in surplus. They will be served with melty mustard or cheese sauces.

“They were going so fast, I started warming the frozen pretzels on the grill, trying to keep up,” recalled Joe Muehlbauer, an Oktoberfest committee member.

The standard brat is always a favorite and comes tucked inside a homemade bun from the kitchen of Huckleberry’s Restaurant. Knackwurst will also be served.

“Knackwurst comes from the German word “knacken,” which is the sound it makes when you bite into it. It’s a pork and beef sausage with a zesty seasoning and a large amount of fresh garlic inside,” Muehlbauer described. “They’re not typically sold around this side of the state, so we had to order them special from Milwaukee. Every year, people rave about the knackwursts and the brats too.”

Returning to this year’s menu, after a several-year hiatus, is the deep fried wienerschnitzel sandwich on a kaiser roll. This can be purchased alone or as a dinner.

Rounding out the savory portion of the menu are jumbo hot dogs, tangy sauerkraut, braised red cabbage prepared on-site, and warm German potato salad.

Not to leave out the sweets, the quintessential bread pudding muffins, prepared by Sharing Spaces Kitchen, will be available along with the seasonally delightful pumpkin bars.

Certainly, German cooking can only be complemented with German beers, which will include five different types on draft, mostly Oktoberfest styles. Additional adult beverages served will be Staghorn Octoberfest from New Glarus, Samuel Adams Octoberfest, Leinenkugel’s Oktoberfest, Leinenkugel’s red and pale ale and a couple of bottled German beers.

Also, Mike’s Hard Black Cherry Lemonade and, new this year, gluten-free beer.

“We had a few requests for that last year, so we’re going to try a case or so and see how it goes,” noted Harry Remz, a fellow committee member.

For those not craving alcoholic beverages, hot apple cider, donated by Shihata’s Orchard, and draft 1919 Root Beer will be available.

Anyone participating in the masskrugstemmen, aka the beer stein holding contest, may be interested in purchasing a ceramic stein, which will come full of the customer’s choice of beer, and can be refilled at a discounted price.
Activities at the gardens will begin after the parade, around 11 a.m. Craft vendors will sell their handmade goods and live music starts at 11:30.  River City Ruckus and the Jim Busta Band will play German music and a dance floor will provide plenty of room for the movers and shakers.

There will be seven stations where kids and families can partake in make-it-and-take-it fun. These simple projects range from dried flower bouquets to bird feed to coloring. Half are old favorites while the rest are new surprises this year.

“It’s all free. The things we’re doing, kids from 2 to 102 could do,” pointed out Donna Teynor, Oktoberfest committee member. “Most of the projects are made from recycled craft materials, weeds and dried flower donations and the master gardeners’ stashes. Participants will end up with something they can take home. We even have many adults who stop by the dried flower bouquet station.”

Each craft table has volunteers there to guide visitors and explain the steps for the make-it-and-take-it pieces.

Teynor encourages attendees to consider competing for bragging rights in the scarecrow contest. Also free of charge, the contest is open to anybody; only a post and supplies for creative building are needed.

“Just come on down, pick a spot and register your scarecrow. Everyone who comes to Oktoberfest will be allowed one vote for their favorite scarecrow,” she said. “Some people really get into it. It’s such a great addition to the late fall gardens and the festivities.”

Scarecrows may also be erected before 10 a.m. or Friday afternoon, Oct. 14, but they must be labeled so judges know who created them.

During all the joyful ruckus, Oktoberfest-goers may also wish to pet the friendly puppies participating in the canine costume contest (animal shelter fundraiser) and browse the master gardener’s raffle baskets, purchase a few raffle tickets and drop them into jars set next to the baskets piquing their interest. Baskets may include wine packages, candle packages, kids bundles, movie bundles, herb and garden baskets, etc.

“All the items are donated, so 100 percent of the money goes back into the gardens,” Teynor added.

In the end, that happens to be the point of the entire celebration, as Oktoberfest is a fundraiser for the St. Feriole Island Memorial Gardens. So take some time to bask in the beauty of fall, meet your neighbors, and share in the family-oriented organized chaos that has become one of Prairie du Chien’s largest events.

“We’re in a region where there are a lot of different Oktoberfest festivities,” Winkleski said. “This is really a community celebration for everyone in the family to enjoy together. We plan to keep it that way too.”

For more information, find Oktoberfest - Prairie du Chien on Facebook.

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