St. John's 1st annual OKTOBERFEST September 20, 2008 - 11:00 am to 11:00 pm. Food, music, games, bier, Traditional German Church service.		Only   until St. John's 1st annual OKTOBERFEST   Admission will be $5.00 per person; Children under 3 will be free.  We will have Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier, $5.00, Brats $4.00, Hamburgers $3.00, Hot Dogs $2.00, Soft drinks/water $2.00, Pretzels $1.00.   There will be Music, both live and recorded, Vendors, Craft demonstrations, adult contests, Pie judging and activities for the children. Oktoberfest Sponsorship Information CRAFT VENDORS WANTED The Oktoberfest Committee is looking for vendors who are interested in selling their items at our event on September 20th. The fee for members is $30 and non-members $50. To book a space or for additional information, please call Kathy Schneemann at 244-8259. Planning meetings The 4th TUESDAY of each month. Our next meeting will be Sept 16, 2008 7:30 PM. Questions please call Joe Schneemann, H# 244-8259 or email poppacabose@aol.com

"ST. JOHN'S LUTHERAN CHURCH's OKTOBERFEST COOKBOOK" The Cookbook is here, please call Kathy Schneemann at 244-8259

Schunkeln Locking arms with your neighbor and swaying from side to side at the table in time to the music. A great icebreaker and impressive to behold when practiced in large numbers. Gemütlichkeit Germans love to sing about "Gemütlichkeit" but there's simply no direct translation. Imagine the way you feel when you're enjoying a fresh beer, delicious food, and great conversation in a warm bar. That's "Gemütlichkeit Grias God The Bavarian national greeting. It translates roughly as "God greet thee!" and works on every social level. Avoid saying "Guten Tag" unless you want to be branded as a northerner Mass No, not a long religious service. Mass is one liter of bier. (See, we knew you'd love German)
Lederhosen ("leather trousers" in German; singular: "Lederhose") are knee-breeches (knickerbockers or shorts) made of leather. The word Lederhosen is frequently misspelled and mispronounced in the English language as "leiderhosen" (literal German meaning: regrettably-breeches) or "liederhosen" (literal German meaning: songs-breeches) and should rhyme with "lai-der hose-n".
Dirndl The dirndl consists of a bodice, blouse, full skirt and apron. While appearing to be simple and plain, a properly-made, modern dirndl may be quite expensive. In the South German dialects (bairisch), 'dirndl' originally referred to a young woman or a girl. Nowadays, 'dirndl' may equally refer to either a young woman, or to the dress
ozapfa (v.) to tap a beer barrel. The Oktoberfest is each year inaugurated with a ceremonial taping of the first barrel of beer in the Schottenhammel tent. The mayor of Munich attach the tap with as few hits as possible. When the tap has been attached the mayor shouts "O'zapft is!" (“it is tapped!”). Twelve shots indicate for the other beer tents, that beer may be served.

Oktoberfest Bier Oktoberfest beer is of a variety called Märzen. Darker and stronger than traditional beer, Märzen contains up to 6% alcohol, is bottom-fermented, and is lagered for at least 30 days. Before the advent of modern refrigeration techniques, this type of beer was brewed in March (as its name suggests) and allowed to age through the summer, so that it was ready to drink by late summer or early fall. Like all German beer, the Oktoberfest beer is brewed according to strict German standards (called the Reinheitsgebot and in effect since 1516) that precisely define the four ingredients allowed in the brewing of beer: barley, hops, malt, and yeast. Just 6 Munich breweries - Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, and Spaten - are permitted to serve beer at the festival. 14 larger and several smaller beer tents and beer gardens provide enough seating for 98,000 visitors at a time. Beer is served by the Maß, a one-liter mug, and costs about 7.50 euros. Beer maids and waiters must be able to carry 10 of these beer-filled mugs at a time.

A bratwurst (pronounced: [ˈbraːtvʊɐst]  is a sausage composed of pork, beef, and sometimes veal. The name is German, derived from Old High German brätwurst, from brät- which is fine chopped meat and -wurst, sausage. Though the brat in bratwurst describes the way the sausages are made, it is often misconstrued to be derived from the German verb "braten", which means to pan fry or roast. Etymology aside, frying and roasting are far from the most common methods of preparation. Bratwurst is usually grilled and sometimes cooked in broth or beer.

Brezn (n.)
Bavarian pretzel. Aesthetically twined string of dough, baked to a pastry. At the Oktoberfest, the giant "Riesnbrezn" are especially beloved.

Words to Ein Prosit! , to be sung with bier stein/glass in hand.
Ein Prosit, Ein Prosit, der gemiitlichkeit
Ein Prosit, Ein Prosit, der gemiitlichkeit
(Cheer!) Eins, zwei, Drei g'suffa!
Zicke, zacke, zicke, zacke, hoi, hoi, hoi,
Zicke, zacke, zicke, zacke, hoi, hoi, hoi,
Prosit!

Why is Oktoberfest called "Oktober"-fest when it actually begins in September?
The first Oktoberfest was held in the year 1810 in honor of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festivities began on October 12, 1810 and ended on October 17th with a horse race. In the following years, the celebrations were repeated and, later, the festival was prolonged and moved forward into September.

By moving the festivities up, it allowed for better weather conditions. Because the September nights were warmer, the visitors were able to enjoy the gardens outside the tents and the stroll over “die Wiesen” or the fields much longer without feeling chilly. Historically, the last Oktoberfest weekend was in October and this tradition continues into present times.