Florida Agenda

FORT LAUDERDALE

Oktoberfest isn’t just for Germans anymore!

People have flocked to Germany from all parts of the globe to participate in the world’s largest annual festival for more than 200 years. Here are some historical and fun facts about Oktoberfest that you can share over a beer with your friends:

• The first Oktoberfest was held on October 12, 1810 for the marriage celebration of Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen.

• Munich’s annual celebration is still held on the original site, Theresienwiese (“Theresa’s fields”), in front of the city gates.

• In 1872, the start of the Oktoberfest was officially moved to September because October was often quite cold, which negatively affected attendance.

• Oktoberfest is the largest public festival in the world with almost 7 million visitors a year in Munich (and festival halls can seat 100,000 people).

• The largest Oktoberfest outside of Germany is in Blumenau, Brazil (attendance: 700,000+). Other cities claiming to have the largest Oktoberfest include Kitchener- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (700,000+), Cincinnati, Ohio (500,000+), and Denver, Colorado (450,000+).

• Oktoberfest is not only an event—it is also a style of beer. An Oktoberfest beer is brewed very much like the reddish-amber Märzen beer that was served at the Crown Prince’s wedding in 1810.

FRENCHIE DAVIS AT BILL’S

Wednesday, October 10, at Bill’s Wilton Manors, Wilton Drive. Frenchie Davis, the recently-out sensation from “American Idol”
Season 2 and Fox’s “The Voice,” will perform her new dance track, “Love’s Got a Hold of Me,” and other hits.

For more information, visit billsfillingstation.com.

GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA

Saturday, October 6, at 8 p.m. As a show of appreciation for the Sunshine Cathedral’s support of both the chorus and the LGBT community, the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida will present a cabaret-style show, at the Sunshine Cathedral (1480 SW 9th Ave., Fort Lauderdale). Held in conjunction with the Cathedral’s 40th Anniversary Celebration Weekend, the performance will feature the chorus’ Ensemble (an elite group of approximately 20 singers from within the 150-member chorus) as well as individual members of the chorus.

Tickets, at $20 each, will be available at the door. For more information, contact John Burch at (954) 563-8658 or (305) 409-0939.

4th ANNUAL FORT LAUDERDALE GAY AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL (FLGLFF)

October 4 to 7. Presented by HBO Latin America, in its fourth year, FLGLFF will spotlight 19 feature films and 17 short films. This year, FLGLFF will move its host theater to the historic Classic Gateway Theatre. In addition, moviegoers will now be able to purchase cocktails during all screenings. Tickets are now available for Festival members (and will be available to the general public on September 10).

MIAMI

MDGLCC BUSINESS BUILDERS LUNCHEON

Thursday, October 4. The Miami- Dade Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce presents its monthly networking program at Anacapri Restaurant, 2530 Ponce De Leon Blvd., Coral Gables. Registration 11:30 a.m. with luncheon/networking from noon to 1:30 p.m. Cost: MDGLCC members ($30), Potential Members ($40, $10 applied to new MDGLCC membership). Includes seated style lunch limited to 25 persons. Please bring a friend. RSVP requested at rsvp@gaybizmiami.com or (305) 673- 4440.

MIAMI MDGLCC GALLA LUNCHEON

Wednesday, October 10. Monthly networking program for the Gay and Lesbian Lawyer’s Association, tailored for attorneys, judges and legal professionals held on the middle Wednesday of each month. Morton’s Steakhouse, 1200 Brickell Avenue. Registration 11:30 a.m. with luncheon/ networking from noon to 1:30 p.m. Guest Speaker: TBD. Cost: MDGLCC members ($35), Potential Members ($50, $10 applied to new MDGLCC membership). Includes seated style lunch limited to 20 persons. RSVP requested at rsvp@gaybizmiami.com or (305) 673-4440.

Dig out those lederhosen and dirndls—and be sure to bring an appetite for plenty of authentic German fare and beer—because the annual Oktoberfest celebration returns to Oakland Park’s Jaco Pastorius Park, Friday, Oct. 5 and Saturday, Oct. 6.

In just eight years, the two-day festival, sponsored by Oakland Park Main Street, has grown into the largest Oktoberfest in Broward County, attracting nearly 10,000 revelers.

The biggest difference between Oakland Park’s festival and others held around the region is “it’s the only one that’s authentic,” says Siegi Constantine, Executive Director of Oakland Park Main Street, a native of Stuttgart, Germany.

Constantine has kept a watchful eye over all the details: The food tent serves authentic German favorites, schnitzels, sausages, sauerkraut and salads, all painstaking prepared by Hans Huber of The Ambry Restaurant, a local favorite for more than three decades. The Tucher Oktoberfest beer is also imported from Germany—brewed from the same secret recipes passed down from generation to generation. And, for the first time, guests will have the opportunity to try a variety of schnapps, the tasty flavored liquor that originated in Germany.

Like the original Oktoberfest, held in 1810 outside Munich, Bavaria, the festival will kick off with the traditional keg-tapping ceremony. In the early years, the Oktoberfest celebration in Bavaria included agricultural displays and later carnival booths and rides. Today, it’s a huge celebration attracting hundreds of thousands of locals and tourists alike.

Like its German cousin, Oakland Park Main Street’s Oktoberfest has plenty to offer: Local craftsmen and women will sell their creations. Vintage Volkswagen automobiles owned by local collectors will be on display. There will also be carnival rides and plenty of surprises. Be sure to sign up for the stein and beer barrel races and say hello to Miss Hooters International, who will be making appearances.

By far, the most popular event is the dachshund race. Dozens of little “hot dogs” will race along a course to the cheers of the crowd. Only one dashing dachshund will take the top prize, but all the pups are winners.

What is Oktoberfest without music? Once again, the popular band, Alpine Express, will take the stage each evening to set a festive mood with authentic rhythms and melodies.

“One of the goals of Oakland Park Main Street is to work with the city to promote the business district and create a sense of community downtown,” said Jason Hagopian, President of Oakland Park Main Street. “Oktoberfest is a fun opportunity for our friends and neighbors to gather and celebrate our community.”

The festival would not have been possible, emphasized Hagopian, without the generous support from the many supporters, including this year’s presenting sponsors, Lipton Toyota and Broward Health Imperial Point.

If you go: Oakland Park Oktoberfest Friday, Oct. 5, 5 – 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, 1 – 11 p.m. Jaco Pastorius Park (4000 N Dixie Hwy) $5 donation at the gate, Onsite parking $10 Ample free parking nearby, Free shuttle.

By BOB KECSKEMETY

The City of Oakland Park will be holding its 7th annual Oktoberfest on Friday and Saturday, September 30  (5 p.m. to 11 p.m.) and October 1  (1 p.m. to 11 p.m.) at Jaco Pastorius Park on North Dixie Highway and N.E.38 Street. Oakland Park’s Oktoberfest is not only the largest in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, but it has also become one of the most popular in Florida.

“Everything about our event is as authentic as possible, from the food and the beer to the bands performing traditional Oktoberfest party music,” said Siegi Constantine, Executive Director of Oakland Park Main Street. “We fly the Oktoberfest beer in from Munich so we have the real stuff. Our event has always been branded as an Authentic Bavarian Oktoberfest so everything about it is authentic as possible.”

Ambry Restaurant (located on Commercial Boulevard) will operate  the Bavarian-style “Biergarten” at Oktoberfest offering a selection of popular German favorites such as bratwurst, knockwurst, sauerkraut, Black Forrest Cherry Cake, German potato salad and apple strudel along with a selection  of German wines. “We try to stick  with authentic German food,” said Constantine, “but we have loosened it a little bit. We now have chicken fingers and roasted corn because not everybody likes German food – especially kids. But we do not allow hot dogs or hamburgers.”

Large tents will be set up to replicate the authentic atmosphere of a Bavarian village celebration including a stage and dance floor.

“We have increased our entertainment budget to book several of the best authentic Oktoberfest bands in Florida,” said Constantine.

Included  in the entertainment schedule will  be performances by Edelweiss Schuhplattlers, a children’s dance troupe, and the Original Auerhahn Schuhplattlers, an adult dance group. The musicians scheduled to fill the air with drinking songs, original oompah and polka dance music until closing each evening include the popular Oktoberfest bands Euro Express and the Swinging Bavarians.
“This is our seventh year and we started out with maybe 1,500 people,” said Constantine. “Last year, we drew up to 10,000 people.

Last year I insisted that we should hold it over two days and it was a great success.”

Through the years, the Oakland Park Oktoberfest has added additional events to make the huge party more fun for the whole family. “I thought, what could we do differently from everybody else?” said Constantine. “Dachshunds are Bavarian dogs so we have a Dachshund race every year called the ‘Dachshund Dash.’ The first year we had 30 some dogs and last year we had 57 of them.”

Registration for the Dachshund Dash is currently taking place at the Central Bark Doggie Daycare center on N. Dixie Highway.

Some of the other events planned are a Beer Keg Roll and a Beer Stein Race where participants loose points for every drop of beer they spill while racing. The popular Apple Strudel Eating Contest is also returning again this year. “There’s this little kid and he started with us about 5 years ago and I’m sure he’s going to win this year. He always ends up with the apple pastry all over his face.”

The first Oktoberfest was a celebration by the people of Munich to honor the marriage of the popular Prince Ludwig and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen in October, 1810, and became an annual event to celebrate their anniversary. About 8,000 people attended that first Oktoberfest – last year almost 10,000,000 people attended making it the largest single festival in Europe.

Beer is a major component of Oktoberfest and only beers brewed in Munich (located in the Bavarian region of Germany) are served at Oktoberfest. Many of the breweries brew a special beer that  can only be obtained during Oktoberfest. This beer has a higher alcohol and sugar content making it 2% stronger. Oktoberfest has been held at the same location for 200 years and has only been cancelled 24 times in its history due to war, disease or other emergencies.

Every year, the traditional festival opening is done by a twelve gun salute and the tapping of the first keg of Oktoberfest beer at 12:00 noon by the Mayor of Munich with the cry “O’ zapft is!” (“It’s tapped!” in the Austro-Bavarian language). The mayor then gives the first beer to the Minister-President of the State of Bavaria. Over 7-million liters (that’s 1,849,204 gallons) of beer get served during the 16 to 18 day festival.

The first Oktoberfest lasted 12 days, starting the first weekend in October. However, the schedule was changed to September, allowing the festival to end on the first weekend in October to take full advantage of the longer and warmer days of September.

“The reason we do Oktoberfest,” concluded Constantine, “is that Main Street is about economic development and we partner with the City of Oakland Park in that we’re tasked with marketing the downtown area and promoting the downtown. One of the ways we do it is to bring people downtown. But Oktoberfest has been growing and growing and it has become the number one signature event for the city.”