On a warm, sunny, beautiful Saturday in September, hundreds of folks enjoyed Oktoberfest in Dundas! The downtown was alive with food vendors, beverage purveyors, local maker booths, horse carriage rides and children’s activities. The second annual Oktoberfest was a huge success! Last year’s attendance exceeded expectations and this year there were even more people and activities! Dundas Oktoberfest continues to grow and expand offerings in this local celebration. Just under two hundred kids enjoyed Barrel Rides through downtown Dundas and into Memorial Park. Farmstead Outdoor Adventures offered an Introduction to Kayak experience with a 45-minute venture on the Cannon River. A totally different way to see the community by connecting people to the river. And…What a fabulous nod to the history of Dundas, which exists due to its Grain Milling History on the Cannon River.
Back on solid ground, people enjoyed the North Star Cornhole Tournament which took place on the street in front of Martha’s and the L&M. Cornhole was a big success and will be back next year. Another favorite was back this year, the horse drawn carriage rides. A huge shout out and thank you to Bob Matthies and his beautiful horses. Horses are truly a people magnet!
And what’s an Oktoberfest without music! The day began with the family friendly group of Todd’n’Tina, delighting children with their music and jokes. So much fun to see young children dancing on the stage and having a blast! The Bavarian Musikmeister’s then took the stage to entertain the crowd and engage with the audience. Don’t know who had more fun, the 35-piece band or the audience, as they sang together the German drinking song Schnitzelbank and did German Line Dancing! If you missed it this year, no worries, The Musikmeister’s will be back next year.
The day was perfect to sit, chat with old and new friends and enjoy a brat, pork sandwich, pretzel or cheese curds. Thank you, Little Prairie United Methodist Church, Martha’s Eats & Treats, Ruth’s on Stafford, and The Dukes! And what better to go with great food but great beverages. This year, like last year, mugs were available for sale to fill with your favorite beer, cider, root beer or lemonade. This year’s mug was different from last year’s mug and next year there will be a different mug. Make sure to bring your mug back to fill next year and the next year and the year after…or get the new style mug. Many thanks to Chapel Brewing, Keepsake Cidery, Little Prairie Church and Martha’s for the beverage selections!
Oktoberfest is a community wide celebration meant to benefit all. The committee members would like to thank all the local makers, food and beverage vendors, volunteers, sponsors and City of Dundas, who made this all possible! We could not have done this without all your support and guidance. We will be back next year on Saturday, September 20th, and if you’d like to be a part of this, we’d love to see you. Until then, Gemütlichkeit!
