Showing posts with label Oktoberfest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oktoberfest. Show all posts

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Take a Trip to the Eighth Annual Barksdale Oktoberfest

Barksdale Air Force Base hosted its eighth annual Oktoberfest celebration last night in support of Operation Bright Holiday which is a fundraiser to bring airmen home for Christmas.  The first year they did this, they were able to send seventeen airmen home for the holidays; last year, over ninety servicemen and women were able to spend Christmas with their families because of this event.

It's a very good cause, indeed!

The team at BAFB that stages this event works for months in preparation.  Col. Anderson is a perennial organizer of this event and is always aided by a great crew; this year Lt. Monique Roux headed things up and I know there were many others in assist.  While the event has many of the same favorite contests from year to year, there is always some new twist or event that keeps it fresh every year; the organizers learn from previous years and so each year the event is better and better.

For example, the first year there were not nearly enough beer taps - only five.  The lines were ridiculously long. The next year there were fifteen; a huge improvement.  The first year they ran out of beer within an hour -- the next year there was plenty of beer.  I learned from experience too; bring a giant beer stein from home and you don't have to stand in line nearly as often as everyone else!

We were, as always, the first to arrive; they were still setting up when we got there.



We had plenty of food, fun, beer, and music last night.



Dinner was Jaeger Schnitzel, brats, green beans with onions, cucumber dill salad, chicken, German potatoes, and giant pretzels.  For dessert, German Chocolate cake.

Our fried Jerry came with us this year.



The band loved Jerry and dubbed him "Luigi."  They even played a song for him.



The band was the very talented Alpenmusikanten who has played this event from the first year.  These guys are incredibly talented musicians and are very much in demand during Oktoberfest season.  We are very grateful that they continue to return to BAFB and support this event!

I lifted my camera to take a photo and Wolfgang shouted "Picture!" in the middle of their song and they posed.


They work the crowd and make certain everyone has a good time.

The children dominated the dance floor in the early evening and it was huge fun watching them run in circles and dance.  The band would cue them on occasion: "OK kids, everyone SCREAM!" And they did.  And then the cue: "STOP!" and they did.  Col. Anderson led them in the Chicken Dance.



We took the obligatory Oktoberfest pictures, sort of.



The contests were back. I sat out of the costume contest this year.  I'm glad I did -- a guy with a baby won.  How can you compete against that?!

There was the Shoe Slapping Contest.



There was a yodeling contest too, but I was in a beer line and missed that.

The band encourages a lot of audience participation: this is volunteer Margaret on the washboard.



She did a great job!

The Hand Jive:



There was no Yard Drinking contest this year, which made me sad.

The annual homage to beer:



We were, as always, the very last to leave.



I'm already waiting for next year!

The SIGIS Take a Trip Series:
Take a Trip to the 2012 Defenders of Liberty Air Show at BAFB
Take a Springtime Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden, LA
Take a Trip to Logansport, Louisiana
Take a Trip to the Lock and Dam on Red River
Take a Trip to the 2012 Barkus and Meoux Parade
Take a Christmas Shopping Trip to Second Hand Rose in Minden
Take a Trip to the Fourth Annual Barksdale AFB Oktoberfest 
Take a Trip to Grand Cane's Fifth Annual Pioneer Trade Day
Take a Trip to the 2011 Highland Jazz & Blues Festival
Take an Autumn Trip to Jefferson, Texas
Take a Fall Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to the 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale Air Force Base
Take a Summertime Trip to Grand Cane
Take a Trip to Desoto Parish
Take a Summer Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Melrose Plantation 
Take a Trip to Ed Lester Farms and a Random Antique Stop
Take a Trip to the Norton Art Gallery and the Masters of Cuban Art Exhibit
Take a Trip to Natchitoches to See the Christmas Lights
Take a Trip to the Third Annual BAFB Oktoberfest 
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Oakland Plantation
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Sunday, September 20, 2015

Oktoberfest: My Favorite Holiday is Here


Oktoberfest 2015 has officially kicked off in Munich:  "O'zapft is!"

The annual celebration is expected to bring six million visitors this year.

There is no more Bacchanalian festival in existence with perhaps Mardi Gras in New Orleans.  It's obviously my favorite holiday -- I have blogged at least 47 times about it.

Locally, Shreveport has joined the nation in forming their own version of Oktoberfest which will be Sunday, September 25 at Zocolo on Ashley Ridge.   It is $20 to purchase a buffet pass, but you don't have to pay just to get in.  If you plan on drinking, beer is $6.00; live music will be via Professor Pork Chop.

Steve and I will be attending the annual Oktoberfest festivities at Barksdale Air Force Base on October 2; this is a fundraiser for Operation Bright Star which brings airmen home for the holidays.  We have attended all seven years so far; this one makes eight.  We have the proud honor of being the first to come and the last to leave each year.

I was honored to win the costume contest two years but got robbed last year; an indignity I hope to remedy this year.

No, seriously, it's all in good fun and this is a celebration that gets better every year.



The food is great.



The beer is cold and plentiful.



And what better way to celebrate than partying with the men and women of our military?



And it's for a great cause.  Doesn't get any better than that. Tickets are available at the Barksdale Club.

Can't wait!

This might get you in the mood:

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Saturday, October 5, 2013

Take a Trip to the Sixth Annual Barksdale Oktoberfest



The sixth annual BAFB Oktoberfest celebration is in the books and it just keeps on getting better each year!  The volunteers and groups that worked on this year's festival outdid themselves.

The Oktboerfest celebration is a huge fundraiser for Operation Bright Holiday which sends airmen home for Christmas.  Last year they were able to send 43 airmen home all over the world for Christmas.

There were a few changes this year:  the tent set-up was different and much better.  There was much more room and even at the peak there was plenty of seating.  

There was a beer garden area this year with high tables and umbrellas.



Inside, there was an expanded jumble of activities for the kids, called "Kinderfest," which included a jump rope contest, Bingo, and other kid-friendly activities.  

When we arrived, I had to go find my friend Rose; she's always working at the entrance, so she was easy to find:


She's one of the sweetest, strongest ladies I know, and is great fun!  We found someone to take our picture for us:


She had work to do, though, so I had to move on.  

Near the entrance, and later moved to the middle of the dance floor, was a huge collection box for donations for the Operation Bright Holiday fund.


I really wanted to see that thing just stuffed with cash by the end of the night!

Also new this year was a home-brew competition.  


There were three contenders set up in tents on the deck by Hangar 2.  There was a raspberry Oktoberfest, an IPA, and I missed what the third one was.


I walked around and took some pictures (which rubbed a blister on my foot because I was wearing ridiculous shoes) and gave a silent nod to my friend Joy as I walked by the Hangar.  We lost Joy to cancer last month and this was the first Oktoberfest without her.  I missed her.



Your $25 ticket to Oktoberfest included your dinner, an Oktoberfest mug, a raffle ticket, and two beers.  Quite a deal!  All the food was set up inside, near the Kinderfest activities, and it was excellent.  I remember the first year: it was set up outside the club on the deck.  They basically had potato salad, brats, and pretzels.  They've come a long, long way in six years!  This year we had jaeger schnitzel, brats, cucumber-dill salad, German potato salad, buttered green beans with fried onions, and a huge pretzel.


I also bought a commemorative mug; even though they gave us plastic ones with our ticket, I liked the big, glass one.  Steve bought a t-shirt and I bought a mug.  Go figure.


The regular band for this event is Dallas-based AlpenMusikanten, and boy do these guys stay busy this time of year!  They are constantly doing Oktoberfest events all over the country.  They are a lot of fun and really work the crowd.  They play literally everything from Johnny Cash to traditional polkas.  The kids loved them, too!


By this time the crowd was about at its peak:


I was told they sold over 800 tickets and I believe most of them showed up.  I know some people buy tickets just because it's a good cause and don't actually attend, but I think they had a huge crowd last night.

Steve's son Josh and his "Feyonce," Heather, came with us; this picture is a little blurry but I like it anyway:


They are getting married next month and we are very excited!

After dinner the dancing started picking up a bit.    DJ Larry asked me if I'd learned the "Thriller" dance yet; of course not.  Maybe by next year.  Larry is a great DJ and we love his tunes!  He knows how to keep the crowd on their feet all night long.



We did the Chicken Dance a couple of times, and they played The Wobble, of course, but I skipped that one!


Steve did the Hokey Pokey, and Heather and I did the "Electric Slide."


Yes, I'm barefooted.  Had to come out of those shoes.

One minor glitch this year was that, for some reason, they kept blowing breakers.  The band never missed a beat, though, and just kept on playing whenever it happened.  Eventually they figured out to have someone near the box and so the electricity would come right back on.  Through the night, though, the crowd kind of got into it and so whenever the lights would go, we'd all whoop and cheer and then they'd come back on and we'd carry on.  I caught these guys trying to diagnose the problem:


Another fun crowd-moment was when they played "Freebird" we all held up the flashlights on our phones, swayed back and forth, and sang along!

The night would not be complete without the annual Oktoberfest games and this year they had a yodeling contest and a yard-drinking contest.  If they did the keg roll this year, I missed it.  And I guess they decided not enough folks were dressed up for the costume contest.  I won that one two years in a row!  Both years I won gift certificates for fine meals at the casinos.  Last year, I lost to a guy dressed like a keg!  No costume contest this year though.  Boo.  

But the yard drinking contest was fun and they had a lot of participants for that one!


And here they go:


Watch the guy in green:



Winner!:


They also had a shield decorating contest and this one was the winner:


It was excellent and I thought very well done.

Shortly after that it was time for the "Guacamole Song" which required volunteers:


And, of course, the Hand Jive was next:


Col. Anderson absolutely ROCKS the Hand Jive every year!  

The night went on, we danced, we took a "selfie":


...and before you know it, we were again at the end of the night.  

First to come, last to leave - EVERY year!  And that's the way we roll.


I spoke to one of the organizers last night about the possibility of making online donations to Operation Bright Holiday and when I get that information from her I will post it here if anyone is interested in helping to send an airman home for the holidays.  By the end of the night their collection box was by no means full but people were dropping bills into it all night long.  I have no idea what they ended up raising but all the tip jars at the beer stands were designated for Operation Bright Holiday as well.  Kudos to all the volunteers and organizers this year, and thanks for your hard work!  We had a ball!

Once again, we survived Oktoberfest!  Until next year...

The SIGIS Take a Trip Series:
Take a Trip to the 2012 Defenders of Liberty Air Show at BAFB
Take a Springtime Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden, LA
Take a Trip to Logansport, Louisiana
Take a Trip to the Lock and Dam on Red River
Take a Trip to the 2012 Barkus and Meoux Parade
Take a Christmas Shopping Trip to Second Hand Rose in Minden
Take a Trip to the Fourth Annual Barksdale AFB Oktoberfest 
Take a Trip to Grand Cane's Fifth Annual Pioneer Trade Day
Take a Trip to the 2011 Highland Jazz & Blues Festival
Take an Autumn Trip to Jefferson, Texas
Take a Fall Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to the 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale Air Force Base
Take a Summertime Trip to Grand Cane
Take a Trip to Desoto Parish
Take a Summer Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Melrose Plantation 
Take a Trip to Ed Lester Farms and a Random Antique Stop
Take a Trip to the Norton Art Gallery and the Masters of Cuban Art Exhibit
Take a Trip to Natchitoches to See the Christmas Lights
Take a Trip to the Third Annual BAFB Oktoberfest 
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Oakland Plantation


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Saturday, September 21, 2013

O'zapft is!

Don't rush into the Halloween season just yet, y'all.

It's time for Oktoberfest!

Oktoberfest began in 1810 as a horse race to amuse the public on the occasion of a Bavarian royal wedding. Wars and cholera epidemics have meant that Bavarians haven't always gotten their annual fill, but the land of plenty has managed to celebrate Oktoberfest 180 times in 203 years. Past Oktoberfests - the largest celebration of its kind in the world - have seen as many as 6 million "Masse," or liter beers in the Bavarian dialect, guzzled.
In the words of Ude, and two centuries of mayors who have preceded him (and surely whoever will replace him next year), "O'zapft is" - it's tapped.

And, of course, keeping with custom, SIGIS will be doing some serious Oktoberfest celebration and posting!

Tobegin, you should acquaint yourself with the Oktoberfest translation guide:

"Mehr bier, bitte!"



Here we go.
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Friday, September 20, 2013

Guess What Time it Is?

Tomorrow is the start of Oktoberfest in Munich; it's my favorite holiday!  Who can't get behind a festival for beer, now, really?!

One day I'll get to Munich to see it, or even to Choctaw, Oklahoma, who puts on a pretty darn good festival:



Short of all that, I am planning to attend this years Oktoberfest at Barksdale Air Force base - the sixth year in a row.  For six years Steve and I have been the first to come and the last to go at the BAFB celebration!  Even better, it's for a great cause:  Operation Bright Holiday, which brings airmen home for Christmas.

If you have base access, plan on attending.  I promise, you'll have a great time!






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Saturday, October 6, 2012

Take a Trip to Oktoberfest 2012 at Barksdale Air Force Base

Oktoberfest 2012 is in the books and a grand time was had by all!

This was the fifth year Barksdale Air Force Base has put on an Oktoberfest celebration and each year gets better and better.  The first year was a valiant effort but it was a starting point; that year there weren't enough beer taps and the lines were insanely long and they ran out of beer very early in the evening.

This year there were sixteen beer taps with several types of beer from which to choose.  The food was inside the Club this year and was even better than last year.  They sold over 1,200 advance tickets and I have no idea how many people just walked up.

It's all for good cause - Operation Bright Holiday which sends Airmen home for the holidays.  The goal this year was to send 35 Airmen home.  All the proceeds and whatever was stuffed into the tip jars went to the cause.

As usual, Steve and I were among the first to arrive.  We staked out a good seat near the front at one of the long tables.  The band was AlpenMusikanten who returned for the fifth year in a row.

Steve is hard at work folding my new Oktoberfest t-shirt:


It wasn't long before lines began to form at the beer taps:


You had to have OktoberBucks to buy beer:


I walked around and looked at the shields for the decorated shield contest:


Here's another one:


As I said, the food was inside this year, spread out beautifully in the Club.  In the first year there was one long buffet table and two lines, one on each side.  You can see they've figured out a better way:


There were four tables this time and another one for the kids with hot dogs and such.  The menu for adults consisted of sliced cucumbers, German potato salad, bratwurst, schnitzel, and saurkraut with apples.  Various rolls and bread choices were offered as well as big, salty pretzels.  German chocolate cake was for dessert:


It's always interesting to see who turns out for these things; I love to people watch.  This couple was sitting near us and they seemed to be having a grand time all evening:


After dinner Steve and I had our annual Oktoberfest picture made...


...and then I saw my friend Rose who was giving out the Oktoberfest mugs to each ticket holder:


I took a couple of shots of the growing crowd before it got dark:


Another:


Each year they have a costume contest and call up everyone who dressed up to participate.  I won it for the last two years (wearing a skimpy Oktoberfest costume!) but this year I wanted to wear something more authentic.  Besides, at my age I started to feel sort of silly in a tiny costume meant for someone much thinner and younger!  So, I ordered a really pretty dirndl and was much more comfortable.  However, I lost this year.  To a keg.  The winner this year was a guy dressed up like a keg - and it really pumped beer!  Heck, even I voted for the keg; it was great!


AlpenMusikanten is very big on audience participation so I was drafted to participate in the Guacamole song:


However, I could not be persuaded to participate in the yard drinking contest:


There weren't any female entrants in that contest this year although a girl did win in last year.


There was a keg rolling contest in the parking lot but it was dark and I didn't get any pictures of that.

We did The Hand Jive:


and, of course, the Thriller dance:


There was a Conga line:

 


And before you knew it, it got late and people started to go home.  Steve and I always like to listen to DJ Larry Hill who keeps the fun going after the band shuts it down.


Larry gave us a shout out for being the first to come and the last to leave every year.

Proof:


I sure hate it, but Oktoberfest is over until next year.

On a related note, here is a cool time lapse video of a day in the Hofbrau tent at the Munich Oktoberfest:



Until next year...

The SIGIS Take a Trip Series:
Take a Trip to the 2012 Defenders of Liberty Air Show at BAFB
Take a Springtime Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden, LA
Take a Trip to Logansport, Louisiana
Take a Trip to the Lock and Dam on Red River
Take a Trip to the 2012 Barkus and Meoux Parade
Take a Christmas Shopping Trip to Second Hand Rose in Minden
Take a Trip to the Fourth Annual Barksdale AFB Oktoberfest
Take a Trip to Grand Cane's Fifth Annual Pioneer Trade Day
Take a Trip to the 2011 Highland Jazz & Blues Festival
Take an Autumn Trip to Jefferson, Texas
Take a Fall Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to the 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale Air Force Base
Take a Summertime Trip to Grand Cane
Take a Trip to Desoto Parish
Take a Summer Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Melrose Plantation 
Take a Trip to Ed Lester Farms and a Random Antique Stop
Take a Trip to the Norton Art Gallery and the Masters of Cuban Art Exhibit
Take a Trip to Natchitoches to See the Christmas Lights
Take a Trip to the Third Annual BAFB Oktoberfest
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Oakland Plantation
Take a Trip to Jefferson, Texas
Oktoberfest at BAFB
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