October 18, 2008

When: Saturday, October 18, 2008, 7:00 pm-midnight

Where: St. Clair Yacht Club.

Admission: $15/$20 

Oktoberfest showcases the rich German heritage, as well as tasty samples of German-style music, food and beer.  Beer plays a central role in the fair, with every festival beginning with a keg of beer tapped by the Mayor of Munich who declares O'zapft is! (Bavarian for "It’s tapped!").  A special Oktoberfest beer is brewed for the occasion, which is slightly darker and stronger, in both taste and alcohol. It is served in a one-liter-tankard called Maß. The first mass is served to the Bavarian Prime Minister. Only local Munich breweries are allowed to serve this beer in a Bierzelt, a beer tent which is large enough for thousands.

We need approximately 10 volunteers to contribute their time and energy to stage the event.  Have fun, meet great people and contribute your talents as a Friend of SCYC!  Volunteer to help.  As the first, and often the last, contact a visitor has at an event, enthusiastic and helpful volunteers are crucial to this SCYC event's success. We're always looking for friendly people who'd like to volunteer for a worthwhile cause and want to be associated with this popular event.

History of Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati is modeled after the original Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, which starts its annual celebration the same weekend � the third full weekend in September.

Why does Munich hold its Oktoberfest in September? Because the original Oktoberfest was held this very weekend in 1810 as a celebration of the marriage of Prince Ludwig I and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The wedding party was such a success that it was celebrated again in 1812 in commemoration of the royal wedding.

The wedding reception blossomed into a two-week open-air festival that was so well received it became an annual event. Each year additional exhibits were added until it became the major annual German fall festival celebrating harvest time and the arrival of the fall season.

Visitors also consume large quantities of food, most of it traditional hearty fare such as sausage, hendl (chicken), käsespätzle (cheese noodles), and sauerkraut, along with such Bavarian delicacies as roast ox tails.

Traditionally festivities in Munich begin on the second to last Saturday in September and end the first Sunday in October. During the 14-day event, over 7 million visitors drink a copious 14 million liters of beer. They also consume more than 300,000 pairs of pork sausages, 600,000 roasted chickens and more than 60,000 roasted pork knuckles.