Whitefish Oktoberfest marks 10th anniversary
Oktoberfest Hop Queen Kendra the Third leads the dancers.
Patrick Cote/Daily Inter Lake Otto and Deanna Ratz dance Thursday night during Oktoberfest at Depot Park in Whitefish. Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012 in Whitefish, Montana.
Shauna Dunn dances with Grace Dunn at the Great Northwest Oktoberfest celebration on Saturday in Whitefish.
CK Jorgenson taps the ceremonial keg during the Great Northwest Oktoberfest in Whitefish. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)
Austin Hoerner is the last man standing during a stein-holding contest Saturday at the Great Northwest Oktoberfest in Whitefish.
Scott Lawrence and Ethan Dyson compete in a log sawing contest at the Great Northwest Oktoberfest in Whitefish. (Daily Inter Lake file)
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Great Northwest Oktoberfest in Whitefish — time to celebrate Bavarian-style!
Time to crown a new Hop Queen, tap a few (hundred) kegs, do the Chicken Dance, saw a few logs and enjoy brats, beer and Old World hospitality that’s unlike any you’ll find this side of Munich.
The 10th annual Great Northwest Oktoberfest is set for Sept. 26 through Oct. 5 at the Smith Fields Sports Complex, across from North Valley Hospital.
That’s right … this year’s fest won’t be held in the friendly confines of Depot Park, because the downtown park is in the midst of a major renovation/improvement project.
Thankfully, the folks responsible for Smith Fields have welcomed Oktoberfest with open arms, and it will provide a beautiful backdrop for this year’s celebration … complete with acres of free paved parking.
Oktoberfest features seven nights and two days of authentic Bavarian food, drink, music and dancing, and a wild array of audience participation contests.
Three great bands will provide non-stop oompah, polka, waltz, Western swing, classic rock and other great dance music throughout the festival, with one of America’s most sought-after Oktoberfest bands — Europa — entertaining the masses each night Sept. 26 to 28.
The following week, Canada’s polka legends, The Western Senators, will play under the Oktoberfest Bigtop on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, and will also make an appearance at the Firebrand Hotel Wednesday, Oct. 2, for the 2019 Hop Queen qualifiers.
On Saturday afternoons it’s the Bavarian Echoes, the Flathead’s own Bavarian brass band.
Family Day
Saturday Sept. 28, is Family Day at Oktoberfest, so bring out the whole family for a great afternoon of family-style fun. There will be a bounce houses for the 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.
Ride the Whitefish Trail to Oktoberfest
Thursday, Oct. 3, is “Whitefish Trail Night” at Oktoberfest, with a portion of the gate proceeds benefiting Whitefish Legacy Partners, the nonprofit group that spearheads development of the Whitefish Trail system. A crew of volunteers from Legacy Partners will be manning the bar that night and will appreciate all tips.
Hop Queen Crowning
Also set for Thursday, Oct. 3, at 9 p.m. is the crowning of the 2019 Hop Queen, accompanied by all the pomp and circumstance befitting the coronation of the Royal Matriarch of Oktoberfest. Applications, nominations, suggestions and salutations are still being solicited, so for more details or to throw your crown in the ring for the Hop Queen pageant call the Whitefish Chamber at 862-3501, or visit www.whitefishOktoberfest.com.
Directions
The Great Northwest Oktoberfest takes place at Smith Fields Sports Complex on River Lakes Parkway across from North Valley Hospital. From U.S. 93 in Whitefish, turn east at the stoplight on JP Road (Don K Whitefish), then take a right on River Lakes Parkway. Smith Fields will be a quarter-mile ahead, on your left.
From Columbia Falls/Montana 40, turn right about one-quarter mile east of U.S. 93, onto Hospital Way. Smith Fields will be on your right.
Admission
Oktoberfest admission is $5 for adults, with kids under 12 accompanied by parents admitted free.
And don’t worry about the weather — come sunshine, rain, sleet or snow, it’ll be warm and toasty under the climate-controlled Oktoberfest Bigtop.
For more information, call the Whitefish Chamber at 406-862-3501, or check out the event website at www.whitefishoktoberfest. com