Brats, beers and German-language cheers delight at Frederick's annual Oktoberfest
Sep. 30—Crowds of people from Frederick County and beyond rang in the fall season with brats, beers and cheers of "zicke zacke, zicke zacke, hoi hoi hoi!" during Frederick's Oktoberfest on Saturday.
The annual German-themed event, which is hosted at the Frederick Fairgrounds, is a joint effort by the Rotary Clubs of Carroll Creek and Southern Frederick County to raise money for local nonprofits and service projects.
Michelle Rankin, co-chair of Frederick Oktoberfest and a member of the Carroll Creek Rotary Club, said "the whole point of the event is to give back to the community." This year's event was particularly well-attended, Rankin said, thanks to the warm weather.
Frederick's Oktoberfest is entirely volunteer-run, Rankin said. Members of local Rotary Interact Clubs, the youth arm of Rotary International, helped direct traffic and collect donations in the parking lots.
All of the meals served at the event were cooked in an outdoor tent by students of Frederick Community College's Hospitality, Culinary and Tourism Institute.
According to Elizabeth DeRose, the program's director, volunteering at the event gives students a chance to experience large event production and working in a temporary kitchen while earning service learning hours, which is a graduation requirement.
Aside from bratwurst, a type of German sausage, the FCC students prepared hot dogs, beef schnitzel, and traditional sides like potato salad and hot red cabbage.
The event's menu also featured pretzels, strudel and a variety of beers from breweries both near and far.
Drafts from local favorites including Brunswick's Smoketown Brewing Station and Brewer's Alley in Frederick were on tap, as were imported brands such as Spaten, Hofbrau and Stiegl.
In the festival hall, people sat at shoulder-to-shoulder at long banquet tables, enjoying hot food, cold drinks and a show put on by Enzian Volkstazgruppe — a Bavarian folk dancing troupe out of Newark, Delaware.
Outside, several vendors set up their own tents. A business from Muncy, Pennsylvania sold an assortment of German roasted nuts. Jake's Chainsaw Carvings from Hanover, Pennsylvania made wooden sculptures of animals, jack-o-lanterns and ghosts for purchase.
Children who accompanied their grown-ups to Oktoberfest took full advantage of the kid's zone, which was staffed by Hood College Rotaract club members.
Kids could compete in a yodeling contest, make their own alpine hats out of paper bowls and craft supplies and watch performances by children's entertainers.
Lexie Luhrs, a musical theater major at the Catholic University of America and a Frederick native, has performed for the kids at Oktoberfest for several years. This year, she brought along her partner, Josh Carias from Woodbridge, Virginia.
"He had never been to an Oktoberfest before, but I told him not to worry about it," Luhrs said. "It's all about food, beer, music and dancing."
