"Put on your Lederhosen or Dirndls and join us for this great Bavarian Festival… a traditional German “Volksfest” in the heart of Phoenix… a giant “Bier Garten” with buxom beer maidens serving Bavarian brews; Bavarian bands playing lively tunes and leading sing-alongs of old time drinking songs; mouth watering sausages and strudel; Bavarian dancing and lots of good old-fashioned fun at this authentic old-world family event!

Our “Festhallen” is for the young and the “young at heart”, whether you hail from Germany or central Phoenix. Sample traditional German foods and drinks, enjoy the music, and shop from a variety of authentic German products. Bring the family - there are lots of fun kid’s activities for their enjoyment.

The 3rd annual Old World Oktoberfest was again a great success.

Nearly 3,000 visitors enjoyed the event that offered free children's entertainment, the Guggenbach Band from Germany and the Arizona Accordion Band.

Over 150 energetic volunteers contributed to the event success. Julio Napoleon of Glendale won the two roundtrip Lufthansa tickets and he is very excited to visit Germany next May.

Winners of the German Essay contest were Joseph Richard King of Horizon High School Phoenix and Annelise Chittock of Amphitheater High School in Tucson.

The winners each earned a $200 scholarship from AC4GC. The contest was quite popular with 18 entries. You can read the essays on the AC4GC website www.AC4GC.org.

The Henkel display was another popular destination with the many free products.

The Bosch display and the cooking demonstration led by Peter Leitner was visited by many guests throughout the day. Peter Leitner did a great job and the food samples he prepared were much appreciated by the audience.

Walter Amon of Rastra participated for the first time in the Sauerkraut Cook off contest that was generously sponsored by Gundelsheim Sauerkraut from Germany. Walter won the first prize with his "Sauer makes happy" recipe. Returning participants Dora Thomas and Linda Shapin won 2nd and 3rd prize respectively.

For the first time this year we welcomed the Austrian Society with their own tent and they attracted many interested visitors.

The Swiss Society showed their support with a banner. Hopefully we will see more Germanic organizations promote their clubs in years to come.

Plans will soon be underway for the 4th Old World Oktoberfest and we welcome our members to participate in the planning activities."

Christine Colley
Oktoberfest President