Merry Oktoberfest

Mike Sciacca

Get ready, it’s time to ruffle your feathers.

Don’t feel like a chicken dance? Well, then it’s Oom-pah-pah time.

Either way, you can’t escape the fact that Oktoberfest, a fall

tradition in Huntington Beach’s Old World Village, is upon us.

Actually, the celebration officially kicked off on Sept. 16 and runs

through Oct. 28.

“It’s a great time for everybody,” said Cyndie Kasko of the

Oktoberfest organization. “We’re expecting a big turnout once again and

everybody should come for great fun, great food and drink, great music

and a great time, period.”

Mike Williams did just that.

A 10-year Huntington Beach resident, Williams was visiting the

festival for the first time.

“I came for the food, fun and music, and of course, the beer,” he

said.

Oktoberfest started in 1812 in Munich, Germany, as a wedding

anniversary celebration of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese. The

festival has grown into the largest world-renowned Beer Bash, still

growing strong 187 years later.

Old World Village has hosted Oktoberfest since 1978.

It runs Wednesdays through Sundays, beginning at 6:30 p.m. nightly.

The food menu includes the famous baked chicken, bratwurst,

sauerbraten, schnitzel and roast pork. Hamburgers, hot dogs, sauerkraut,

dumplings, potato salad, cucumber salad, green salad, red cabbage, mashed

potatoes, fresh fruit, fresh baked bread and rolls and an apple strudel

from the in-house bakery.

Then there’s the beer, including Oktoberfest Beck’s and Spaten,

Lowenbrau, Warsteiner, Beck’s Dark and Samuel Adams. All are available

for tasting. A full bar includes shots of Jaegermeister, Apple schnapps,

Rumpleminz, Goldschlager and the newest schnapps, Kleiner Feigling.

As you walk the grounds, music permeates the air, as an Oom-pah-pah

band, direct from Germany, mixes traditional Oktoberfest music with a

modern beat, such as the Beatles, Elvis Presley and the Rolling Stones.

The band begins playing at 7 p.m. nightly.

As famous as Oktoberfest is for its food and drink -- Kasko said that

average attendance is 60,000 over the five-week period -- it’s equally

famous for the Chicken Dance. Old and young alike partake in the dance,

where rhythm, it appears, isn’t a prerequisite. Having fun is.

There are those who know the simple steps by heart, others need a

little time before abandoning their reserve and moving to the dance

floor.Williams was one of them, who went out to spread his wings after

watching from the sidelines.

“I’ve tasted just about everything here, but this is my first chicken

dance,” he said. “I thought I’d check it out first before I gave it a

shot. It was fun.”

Oktoberfest also caters to children with its Kinderfest celebration.

Folk dancers, a moon bounce, game booths and prizes are offered every

Sunday.

“There’s family fun for everyone,” Kasko said.

The Oktoberfest Parade will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday. German Day, a

holiday which honors German immigrants and is recognized by the U.S.

Congress, will be celebrated between 6:30 and 11 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3.

Free food will be offered to the first 300 guests that day.

“I had a fun time,” said Williams, who was still taking in the

festivities when the band struck up again. “If I can get a group of my

friends to join me, I’ll come back.”