Page 45 - Flathead Beacon // 9.24.14

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SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 | 45
ENTERTAINMENT
OKTOBERFEST // SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
THURSDAY, SEPT. 25
5 P.M. // Oktoberfest Bigtop and Beer Garden open Local’s Night – Flathead residents admitted free w/ ID
5:30 P.M. // Mayoral toast and tapping of the first keg Great dance music by The Western Senators
6:30 P.M. // Introduction of 2014 Hop Queen hopefuls, female stein- holding contest, male log-sawing contest
7 P.M. // Music by The Western Senators
7:45 P.M. // Female log-sawing contest, male stein-holding contest 8:15 P.M. // Polka, western swing and music by The Western Senators 9 P.M. // Male and female stein-holding contest
9:30 P.M. // Music by The Western Senators
10:30 P.M. // Last call
FRIDAY, SEPT. 26
5 P.M. // Oktoberfest Bigtop and Beer Garden open
5:30 P.M. // Great Oktoberfest music by The Western Senators
6:30 P.M. // Male stein-holding contest, female log-sawing contest
7 P.M. // Music by The Western Senators
7:45 P.M. // Brat-eating contest: The Wurst Minute of Your Life, and female stein-holding contest
8 P.M. // Crowning of the 2014 Oktoberfest Hop Queen
8:15 P.M. // Polka, western swing and more by The Western Senators 9 P.M. // Male log-sawing contest, female stein-holding contest 9:30 P.M. // Music by The Western Senators
10:30 // Last call
SATURDAY, SEPT. 27
NOON // Oktoberfest Bigtop & Beer Garden open, kids’ daytime activities begin
12:30 P.M. // German music by The Bavarian Echoes
1:30 P.M. // Male stein-holding contest, female stein-holding contest 2 P.M. // Polka, waltz and more by The Bavarian Echoes
2:45 P.M. // Kids’ Chicken Dance Championships
3:15 P.M. // Oom-pah by The Bavarian Echoes
4 P.M. // Male mountain climbing races // Ladies’ Stein-Holding
4:30 P.M. // Music by The Bavarian Echoes
5:15 P.M. // Female mountain climbing races//Male Stein-Holding 5:45 P.M. // Dance music by The Western Senators
6 P.M. // World keg-hurling championships, first round
6:30 P.M. // Female stein-holding contest, male log-sawing contest 7 P.M. // Music by The Western Senators
7:45 P.M. // Male stein-holding contest, female log-sawing contest 8:15 P.M. // Polka, western swing and more by The Western Senators 9 P.M. // Female stein-holding contest, male stein-holding contest 9:30 P.M. // Dance music by The Western Senators
10:30 // Last Call
FOR A SCHEDULE OF EVENTS FOR OCT. 2-4, VISIT WWW.WHITEFISHOKTOBERFEST.COM
A Great Northern Brewing Company oktoberfest from a tapped wood barrel. BEACON FILE PHOTO
BAVARIAN-STYLE REVELRY
RAMPS UP IN WHITEFISH
FIFTH ANNUAL GREAT NORTHWEST OKTOBERFEST RETURNS FOR TWO WEEKENDS
BIy TRISTAN SCOTT of the Beacon
t’s time to dust off the lederhosen and break out the dirndls for the Great Northwest Oktoberfest, slated to kick off Sept. 25 and run through Oct. 4 at
Depot Park in downtown Whitefish.
Oktoberfest is a German event with its roots in Mu-
nich. The festival is more than 200 years old, and origi- nated as a wedding party for German royalty where ev- eryone in town was invited. Munich now draws about 6 million visitors every October who drink about 5 mil- lion liters of beer, according to the city’s website.
While Whitefish won’t draw that level of traffic, Kevin Gartland, the chamber’s executive director, said the city’s Fifth Annual Oktoberfest celebration will offer plenty of traditional, family-oriented German
events over six days that span two weekends.
The event will feature log-sawing contests for pairs in both the men’s and women’s divisions, and hourly contests on the music stage that include the brutal Ma- cho Men and Lovely Ladies stein-holding competitions
that will whip your forearms into shape.
Admission to the Oktoberfest bigtop tent is $4
for adults, with kids under 12 (accompanied by par- ents) allowed free. Even if the mercury drops, it will be warm and toasty under the climate-controlled Oktoberfest tent.
For more information and for a schedule of the second weekend of events, check out their website at www.White-
fishOktoberfest.com.
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