2012 Oaks Park Oktoberfest info here!
Three words: Wiener dog races. That’s really all you need to know, but in addition you will also enjoy imported German beer, sausages, all the oompah music you can stomach, and chicken dancing until the wee hours! Yup, the Zenner’s Oktoberfest at Oaks Park takes place this weekend, from Friday, September 25 through Sunday, September 27th.
A variety of Paulaner beers will be on tap to accompany the schnitzel and locally produced Zenner’s sausages. Check out the Oaks Park site for the schedule of activities, including pretzel tosses, condiment art contests, and sausage eating contests, each day. And the Polkatones are back! (Download the live music and stage schedule here – pdf.).
This Oktoberfest is one of my favorite fall festivals. The setting at the river front Oaks Park is fantastic – while you’re at the festival you can go on the rides, enjoy the midway, or go roller skating. With two giant festhallen, you can stay dry if it’s raining, shaded if it’s sunny. And of course nothing beats wiener dog races for sheer squeaky toy excitement!
Wiener Dog Race (2008 Oaks Park Oktoberfest)! from Mile73 on Vimeo.
Thanks to Heather at Mile73.com for the video! She also blogged last years festival here:
Oktoberfest: Beer, Wiener Dogs and Schnitzel
Admission is only $5 ($3 for seniors, $2 for kids under 15), and the beers and food are reasonably priced.
Just this once, I believe we have you beat on the beer festival front. The Kitchener-Waterloo (Ontario) Oktober fest is the biggest and best Oktoberfest outside of Munich. http://www.oktoberfest.ca/
XUP – This Portland Octoberfest isn’t huge, but it’s a lot of fun. The big regional Oktoberfest in these parts is this one: http://www.oktoberfest.org/