Oktoberfest: Celebrations

This is the second in a series of articles this month about the beers, festivals, and what-not of Oktoberfest. Check out the first one here.

Where To Get Your Lederhosen On

Ok, I admit, I thought that Oktoberfest was only in October. I remember going to LaCrosse, Wisconsin when I was younger to enjoy the drunken fun and I swear it was during a weekend in October. It may have been, but looking at their schedule, it was probably in September. (Next year, it is from September 23rd to October 1st. The 178th Oktoberfest in Munich is 9/17 to 10/3 2011. Just to let you know so you can start planning for both of those parties for next year.) Well, now I know that when people say ?Oktober? they could mean any time between August and November. It?s like how a drunk would count a month.

Then, I realized that there are two really big Oktoberfest celebrations still going on in the Southern California, and I realized that it could just be the continual Oktoberfest fever in my neck of the woods that got me thinking like this. Anyway, since I didn?t alert you soon enough for the Munich, the LaCrosse or even St. Louis? Soulard version, here are the some Oktoberfest celebrations that are still ongoing.

The Celebrations

Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest. This Oktoberfest runs until the 30th of October. This Saturday, you could watch performances by the Cripple Creek Cloggers, enjoy Log Sawing and Stein Holding contests and finish off the day with a ?Safe? Slam Beer Drinking Contest. (Why is it safe? You slam O?Doul?s beer. Tell my stomach and taste buds that?s safe.) After paying $12 at the door, you can buy tickets to enjoy ?non-safe? Warsteiner Pilsners, Dunkels and Oktoberfest beers as well as bratwursts and apple strudel.

Alpine Village Oktoberfest. Both this weekend and the weekend of the 23rd of October are remaining in this Oktoberfest celebration. German food, beer and music are all here as well as grabbing tits, as part of the celebration here is a cow-milking contest. (Now is your turn to say, ?Your girlfriend is a cow,? and top my reference.)

Tulsa Oktoberfest. Quick! Before this Friday (or the 16th ? the registration form is not that clear), be sure to get five friends (at least two girls) and register for the Bier Barrel Race. The race consists of three groups of two people rolling an empty beer keg with only one hand for ninety feet. The most interesting rule is that baby powder is allowed. The most interesting unstated rule is that drinking makes the race a lot more interesting.

Wilmington North Carolina Oktoberfest. Wow. Of course there is beer and brats at this Oktoberfest on the 15th through the 17th, but the cool thing is that there are four different kinds of Oktoberfest beers (Sam Adams, Gordon Biersch, Spaten and Paulaner.) If that?s not enough, while you?re drinking, you can enjoy wiener dog racing. Since gambling makes everything better, my advice is to always bet on the wiener dog that just pooped.

Next week, if you?ve missed the Oktoberfest celebrations (which I almost did), I?ll give you a list of places to make your own celebration.