Great Northwest Oktoberfest opens in Whitefish

The Great Northwest Oktoberfest is coming to Whitefish for two weekends of beer, brats, lederhosen and polka, beginning Sept. 28 and closing Oct. 7.

The eighth annual Great Northwest Oktoberfest will take place at Depot Park in Whitefish, with two full days and seven nights of authentic Bavarian food, drink, music and dancing, and a wild array of audience participation contests.

Three bands will provide non-stop oompah, polka, waltz, western swing, classic rock and other great dance music throughout the event, with one of America’s most sought after Oktoberfest bands, Europa, performing on the nights of Sept. 28, 29 and 30.

The following week, Canada’s polka legends The Western Senators will play under the Oktoberfest tent on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, and will also make an appearance at the Firebrand Hotel on Wednesday, Oct. 4 for the 2017 Hop Queen Qualifiers. On Saturday afternoons it’s the Bavarian Echoes, the Flathead’s own Bavarian brass band.

Each night at Oktoberfest, attendees are invited to participate in one of the hourly contests on and around the main stage. Contests include log-sawing, stein-holding, keg-hurling, mountain-climbing and Bavarian barrel racing.

Back to defend his title this year will be five-time Whitefish Stein-Holding champion Kevin Collom, who last week competed in the U.S. Masskrugstemmen (stein-holding) Championships in New York City. This year’s champ will be determined on the last night of Oktoberfest, Oct. 7, with the victor winning a trip to the National Semifinals in Las Vegas next summer. The winner of that competition goes to the Finals in New York in September, and the U.S. Champ wins an all-expense paid trip for two to Munich, Germany.

Our local Stein-Holding King gets the “royal treatment” courtesy of the Hofbrau Brewery in Munich, Germany, sponsors of the National Championships, and the official German beer of Oktoberfest. Four different Hofbrau beers will be poured at this year’s festival, along with four local brews from Whitefish’s Great Northern Brewing Co.

Oktoberfest’s fourth annual Hop Queen Competition and Crowning is set for Oct. 4 and 5, as Queen Kendra the Third relinquishes her crown and title to one of the Lovely Ladies of Lager who’ll be vying for the honor. This year’s competition will be a two-day affair, beginning with the inaugural “Hop Queen Qualifier” on Wednesday, Oct. 4, from 6-8 p.m. at the Firebrand Hotel. Hop Queen candidates and the Western Senators will be on hand to mix, mingle and answer questions from the judges, as they compete for the coveted Hop Queen Crown.

The new queen will be crowned with great pomp and circumstance the following night, Thursday, Oct. 5, and will “reign” over Oktoberfest for the last weekend of this year’s event and the first weekend of Oktoberfest 2018. Hop Queen application/nomination forms are available at the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce: Call 406-862-3501 for more information.

Also scheduled for the night of Oct. 5 is the second annual Bavarian Business Night promotion, aka “Gone Fishin’ Goes to Oktoberfest.” Just think of it as America’s largest German-themed business after hours; open to businessfolks from throughout the Flathead Valley, and co-hosted by the Whitefish, Kalispell, Columbia Falls and Bigfork chambers of commerce. Show your local business card for free admission, and once inside take part in the biz-to-biz stein-holding contests, enjoy a fabulous Great Northern Oktoberfest beer, and do a little bit of networking, Oktoberfest-style!

Saturday afternoons at the festival will feature Kid’s Day and the Pumpkin Patch. Saturday, Sept. 30, is “Kids’ Day at Oktoberfest,” so bring the whole family for a fall afternoon of family-style fun co-hosted by the Whitefish Parks Department. There will be bounce houses for kids to explore, a climbing wall, face-painting, the Kids’ Chicken Dancing Championships on the main dance floor, and other activities geared toward the young and the young at heart.

On Saturday, Oct. 7, Oktoberfest teams up with the Childrens’ House Montessori School for its annual Pumpkin Patch, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Local families can pick-up their Halloween pumpkins and enjoy the games, activities, food and beverages, all of which benefit the local Montessori School.

Two of the highlights at Oktoberfest are the food and the beer. Manning the Oktoberfest kitchen this year will be Huckepack BBQ (known the other 50 weeks of the year as Piggyback BBQ). In addition to the German sausages that are always festival favorites, various German side dishes, including sauerkraut, potato salad, sweet and sour cabbage and more, will also be available.

The Munich-based Hofbrau Brewery is back for 2017, pouring four beers produced by one of the most legendary beer makers in the world. Hofbrauhaus translates literally to “Royal Beer Factory,” a fitting description for one of the original Munich Oktoberfest breweries. They’ll be pouring the original Hofbrau Lager, Dunkel and Oktoberfest lager.

The Great Northern Brewing Co. will also be on hand, pouring 2017 Oktoberfest lager, Wheatfish and two other seasonal favorites.

Wine drinkers can choose from chardonnay, cabernet or reisling, and a variety of non-alcoholic beverages will also be available.

The Great Northwest Oktoberfest takes place in Depot Park, at the corner of Central Avenue and Railway Street in downtown Whitefish. Admission to Oktoberfest is $5 for adults, with kids younger than 12 who are accompanied by parents get in free.

Oktoberfest hours are: Thursday, Sept. 28: 5 to 11 p.m. (Locals Night); Friday, Sept. 29: 5 to 11 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 30: Noon to 11 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 4: 6 to 8 p.m. (at the Firebrand Hotel); Thursday, Oct. 5: 5 to 11 p.m. (Firefighter/First Responder/Law Enforcement Appreciation Night); Friday, Oct. 6: 5 to 11 p.m.; and Saturday, Oct. 7: Noon to 11 p.m. (Seniors’ Day).

For more information, call the Whitefish Chamber at 406-862-3501 or visit http://www.WhitefishOktoberfest.com.