Dave Knows Portland

February 21-22: Bratwurst, Bockwurst, and Frickadelwurst at the Mount Angel Wurstfest

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wurstfestMount Angel, famous for its annual Oktoberfest, is branching out this winter with a pre-Lent carnival of sausage: Wurstfest, a celebration of the mighty German (wurst) sausage.

Wurstfest takes place at the Oktoberfest Community Building (500 S Wilco Hwy) both Saturday (noon-11) and Sunday (noon-6). Details from the press release:

Area sausage makers present for sale the best of their wurst – bratwurst, bockwurst, frickadelwurst, famous Oktoberfest sausage and many more garnished with sauerkraut, grilled onions and the Benedictine Sisters award winning Monastery Mustards. On tap are world famous Spaten Biers from Munich – Premium Helles, Optimator, Helles Bock, Pilsner, Franziskaner Hefeweizen, along with the ever popular Bud Light. There will be a wide array of East Valley Wines, non-alcoholic drinks and potions. For a cold winter day, try a steaming cup of Bavarian Glühwein. Select cheeses, sausage pizza, baked goods, Extreme Chocolates, roasted nuts and elephant ears for the kids round out the food offerings.

mine . . .

And there’s music too; accordions!:

Non-stop music at Wurstfest features Oktoberfest favorites – Mount Angel’s own Z Musikmakers Family Band, the Greg Meier Bavarian Quartet, the Happy Swiss Yodeling Band, a father-son accordion duo and others.

$10.00 gets you in, and also a Spaten souvenir Bavarian glass beer mug. More festival details here (pdf).

September 19-22: Bier, clean dogs and beer, pirates and beer

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Friday-Sunday

Oaks Park OktoberfestThe Oaks Park Oktoberfest begins today and runs through Sunday.

German food and beer, oom pah bands, and the always enjoyable sausage eating, pretzel kissing, and chicken dancing contests. And new this year, wiener dog races Saturday! Only the upcoming Polish Festival, is more anticipated (by me) than this festival. The setting by the river is beautiful, and the huge festhallen keep the rain off you, or the sun out of your eyes, as the case may be. Accordions!

Saturday

Bring your filthy dog to the Hawthorne Lucky Lab (915 SE Hawthorne) Saturday, 11am-5pm, for Dogtoberfest.

You can get stinky Fido washed ($5 suggested donation, all proceeds go to DoveLewis Blood Bank) and then you and your clean companion can stay for the music, beer (Dogtoberfest Pale Ale brewed especially for this occasion), and street fair!

Saturday-Sunday

Cathedral Park hosts the Third Annual Portland Pirate Festival Saturday and Sunday.

There will be beer!

Come experience the region’s best musicians and entertainers, a vast marauder’s market of pirate treasures, children’s rides and activities, and international cuisine worthy of Blackbeard himself. It all takes place in historic Cathedral park alongside the clear waters of the Willamette, and framed by the majestic St. John’s Bridge.

11/29-12/2: Pickled herring, winter ales and glühwein

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Festivals are few and far between in late fall and winter, but this weekend is one of the exceptions. Fight the holiday cheer and cold: imbibe copious amounts of alcohol, sausage, and pickled herring.

Thursday-Sunday

Holiday Ale Festival 2007Pioneer Square hosts the Holiday Ale Festival once again. Stay warm and dry and claustrophobic under the big tent. Take the Max home (if you must drive, rot your teeth with root beer) after you enjoy too many beers with too high an alcohol content and too much cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Actually, there are lots of other choices besides spiced winter ales, but be careful: almost everything is strong.

You know the drill: admission is free, but the plastic mugs are $5 and the samples are a $1 each. No kids at this festival, must be over 21 to enter the tent. Go Thursday for some special beers.

(My favorite part of the Holiday Ale Festival tradition is heading to the Virginia Cafe afterwards for a Cajun Jack Gardenburger and fries.)

Saturday-Sunday

scanfair.jpgThe Scandinavian Heritage Foundation has been putting on the ScanFair for 23 years. Besides the typical xmas bazaar crap, dancers and musicians perform on two stages, there will be various how-to demonstrations of traditional crafts, Oregon’s 52nd Lucia Queen of Light will be crowned and the highlight: a pickled herring eating contest noon on Saturday!

The fair is held at PSU, on the 3rd floor of the Smith Memorial Center (1825 SW Broadway). Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, $3 for children 6 to 12 years, and 5 and under get in free.

germanholidaymarket.jpgMeanwhile out in Beaverton the German American School of Portland (located in the old Nike headquarters across from Kmart: 3900 SW Murray Blvd) is hosting the 8th annual German Holiday Market. This is another xmas bazaar-type thing, but with German foods, sweets, and glühwein! I have only recently become acquainted with the German mulled wine (available at Amnesia Brewing this fall and winter when their electric kettle isn’t on the fritz), but it’s fast becoming my favorite winter drink.

Being a native Portlander of German and Norwegian descent I feel obligated to attend all three of this weekend’s festivals – see you there!

September 7-9: Boots, Boats, Beer and the Belmont Street Fair

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Take your lederhosen out of the closet, as there are Oktoberfests galore this month, in addition to several street fairs, the inimitable Polish Festival, and the Juggling and Pirate Festivals to boot!

Speaking of boots . . .

Friday-Sunday

Muddy Boots Organic FestivalThe Muddy Boot Organic Festival kicks off Friday at St. Philip Neri Church (18th & Division). The festival features:

  • Workshops and exhibits on sustainable living and climate change
  • Local and healthy organic foods and beverages
  • Organic beer and wine
  • Kids’ activities
  • Musical entertainment provided by March Fourth Marching Band, Freak Mountain Ramblers, Jackstraw, Stolen Sweets, Dirty Martini Trio and more

Hopworks Urban Brewery (which isn’t even open yet!) is the official organic beer of the festival. Muddy Boots runs through Sunday, and a $5 suggested donation per person is requested.

Saturday

Widmer OktoberfestWidmer is out of the Teutonic gates first* with the Widmer Brothers 3rd Annual Oktoberfest from 4pm until late Saturday, September 8th.

I attended last year, and while the beer was good, it felt more like a tailgater than an Oktoberfest. Nevertheless, it’s walking distance from my house so I might give it another chance. At least there will be some accordion music (Those Darn Accordions).

* The Mt. Angel Oktoberfest kickoff party is the same day, but the festival doesn’t begin until Thursday, September 13th.

Belmont Street FairThe Belmont Street Fair will be car free this year, and that much better for it. The Division/Clinton Street Fair was a disappointment this year, while the car free Mississippi Avenue Street Fair was fantastic (though other factors such as business density, types of business, target audience, etc. came into play too). It will be centered between 33rd and 35th, but will run from 20th-48th.

Saturday-Sunday

2007 Portland Dragon Boat RaceThe 2007 Portland Dragon Boat Race will be held at Water Front Park on both Saturday and Sunday. Hong Kong-style Dragon Boats (I think that just means the big fancy ones) will ply the 250 and 500 meter courses both days, and there will be a beer garden, food vendors, and other entertainment for spectators to enjoy.

I may be biased, but I think my mom’s team, Pink Phoenix, is going to win the whole thing!