Annual Old Town Oktoberfest bring live music, German food, beer and more...

Written by Anne Erickson and Published by the LSJ; October 07, 2011 Tweet  

The Old Town Commercial Association hosts its sixth annual Oktoberfest Friday and Saturday, bringing a taste of Germany to the heart of Lansing's Old Town. The festival features German food, polka music, dancing, beer and more.

Oktoberfest, along with Festival of the Sun and Moon, is one of the biggest annual fundraisers for the Old Town Commercial Association, a grassroots organization focused on community and economic development.

"We're a nonprofit, community-driven organization, so these events bring new faces to the neighborhood and raise necessary funds for our organization," executive director Brittney Hoszkiw said.

Oktoberfest is expected to generate at least 20 percent of the association's funds this year.

"We focus on five areas of community development: promotion, design, volunteer outreach, resident outreach and businessrecruitment and retention," Hoszkiw said. "We also keep up the playground, public art program, advertising campaigns, marketing campaigns and promote neighborhood beautification with flowers, snow removal and more. So, we're very involved with keeping Old Town a thriving community."

Festival fun

Old Town's Oktoberfest has grown to include a variety of German-themed entertainment and events. This year, the festival headliner is a Polish rock band from Hamtramck, called the Polish Muslims. "They've won a lot of awards in the Detroit area, and they fuse all kinds of music with tongue-and-cheek humor," Hoszkiw said.

More entertainment comes from a mix of German and polka bands, including the Happy Wonderers, Linda Lee & Wild Bill, and Polish dancers Zakopane. Festival attendees will have a chance to try their toes at Polish dancing, with lessons provided by Zakopane. As for the kids, children's activities happen from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, headed by German students from Michigan State University. Kids will make German arts and crafts and take part in Elderly Instruments' famed "musical petting zoo," with different German instruments for kids to see, touch and play.

And then, there are the necklaces.

"A new thing with food is that we're giving away festival necklaces, which is a fun trend happening across the nation with Oktoberfest gatherings," said Louise Gradwohl, the festival director. "The necklaces are pretzels off a big string. It's like a candy necklace, but with pretzels."

Restaurant Mediteran and Grand Grilling are the food vendors this year. For beverages, expect imported German beer, provided by Dan Henry, and hard and regular ciders from Uncle John's Cider Mill in St. Johns. Attendees will also take home a special 12-ounce souvenir mug.

A true celebration of Germany

Hoszkiw says the Oktoberfest committee prides itself on making the experience as authentically German as possible.

"There are a lot of Oktoberfests across the country. Every community seems to have their own," Hoszkiw said. "One thing that we think sets us apart is that this is as close to an authentic Oktoberfest as we can get. When we work with different beer distributors, we get a majority of imported beer from Germany, and with the food vendors, we make sure to provide authentic German-style food.

"With our entertainment, we make sure to not only have polka bands, but German folk dancing and more. We also work with the MSU German Club to provide children's activities that are very authentic to a German event. So, we strike for our Oktoberfest to provide something much different than what you would find in other areas."

Bringing the community together

Since 1996, Oktoberfest has grown from just more than 1,000 attendees to 3,000 to 4,000 over the weekend.

Hoszkiw thinks people look forward to the event because it's simple, fun and quirky.

"We just got a big shipment of green hats, and the food vendors came in the other day with the prototype for the pretzel necklaces, and it's just something to help them get out of their routine and do something unusual," she said. "It gives them the opportunity to step outside of themselves a little bit and have fun, and wear a silly hat."

The fest draws a variety of ages, from families with little ones to college students to grandparents.

"We get a lot of families, but it's a very diverse group," Hoszkiw said. "Some seniors come in to polka dance, and college students come for the drinks. Last year, we met a family who was in the area from California, who was actually a German family, and they came as soon as the gates opened and stayed until we closed. They really enjoyed themselves.

"Everyone enjoys the opportunity to dance in the streets."

Gradwohl added, "I'm looking forward to seeing the bands we've been talking to for months and I'm excited to see people's faces and how they react to the music and events.