Island Oktoberfest Returns October 21-22

Historic downtown Galveston will come alive when the 30th annual Island Oktoberfest kicks off Friday evening, October 21st from 5-11 pm. This fun, family weekend of great music, authentic German food, libations, auction, raffle, games, and much more will continue with extended hours on Saturday, October 22, from 11 am – 11 pm on the grounds of and streets adjacent to First Lutheran Church, 24th and Winnie.

Island Oktoberfest, hosted by First Evangelical Lutheran Church and co-sponsored by Del Papa Distributing Company, will open Friday evening with a ceremonial tapping of the wooden keg by Mayor Joe Jaworski in the newly expanded Bier Garten- featuring several German biers and a variety of German-style wines. Also, The Lyceum will be open from 5-9pm with vendors showcasing superb hand-crafted arts, crafts, and gift items.

Accompanying the weekends’ festivities will be live music by the local band Midlife Crisis on Friday evening, the world-renowned Alpenfest Band during the day Saturday, and the ever popular band The Line-Up –another superb local group – performing Saturday evening. Also for Friday and Saturday, will be new performances by Alpine and Western yodeling master Kerry Christiansen and by Das Ist Lustig, entertaining with interactive German shows that include folk instruments and dance lessons for festival-goers! Also new for entertainment this year is the addition of a second, family stage that will showcase performances by community groups and local organizations including Fanfare!, the Lutheran Music Academy’s Children’s Choir.

Along with good music, there will be great food and drink including smoked sausage, bratwurst, and knockwurst. On Saturday, First Lutheran’s famous German Dinner will be served and The Lyceum will be open from 11am-7pm for shoppers eager to purchase quality arts, crafts, and gifts. Other Saturday events will include a variety of fun games and activities for children, an exciting live auction, and much more.

Favorite cuisines to be prepared at this year’s Island Oktoberfest will include pork loin, sauerkraut, red cabbage, and German potato salad. Back by popular demand will be the expanded Wurstfest booth area featuring delicious bratwurst, knackwurst, and smoked sausages served with sauerkraut and all the trimmings. For a sweet finale, homemade Helmut’s strudel (freshly baked on site), will again be offered in addition to a variety of tempting home-made desserts (created from recipes passed down from generation to generation) prepared by congregation members. Hand-made pretzels, freshly-popped popcorn, and a variety of soft drinks will also be sold at the festival.

Vendors will again display their quality gifts, crafts, and arts inside the magnificently- refurbished and restored Lyceum located adjacent to the present sanctuary. Showcasing stunning floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows, this restored historic church, until recently, had not been opened to the public. In addition to getting to see the Original Church post-restoration, festival goers should find this to be a great opportunity to get a head start on their holiday shopping. Because Oktoberfest continues to be one of the vendors’ most enjoyable and fun venues, regular attendees can look forward to shopping with their long-time favorite vendors – each featuring Christmas and other special gift items. For the children, exciting activities may include a moon walk, rock climbing wall, water balloon toss, and face painting.

Island Oktoberfest admission is free. Attendees are encouraged to dress in German costume. For more information, please visit www.galvestonoktoberfest.com , call 409.762.8477 or follow the event on Facebook at Island Oktoberfest.

About the Entertainment…

Big news for entertainment is the addition of a second – Family Stage – that will showcase performances by popular community groups and regional musicians. Das Ist Lustig, a lively German band from Houston, will headline. Das Ist Lustig means “this is fun”, and the band performs for audiences of all ages. Offering a variety that no other band has with their audiences, Das Ist Lustig presents their own twist on the traditional Schnitzelbank.  Valina of Das Ist Lustig will also serve as MC for the Family Stage.  You won’t want to miss Das Ist Lustig performing throughout the weekend-  on Friday from 5:00-8:00 p.m. and Saturday from 11:00- 8:00 p.m.

Fanfare!, the Lutheran Music Academy’s Children’s Choir, is returning this year bigger and better than ever!  Now in its fourth year, the Lutheran Music Academy has grown to over 50 students – each learning music and art in an after school program designed to introduce young people to fine music theory and performance. Hear the choir perform at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday on the Family Stage.

Also on the Family Stage and performing for the first time this year is the talented young Brendon Mak, who will bring his unique mix of Polka and popular music to Island Oktoberfest. Hailing from Richmond, Texas, Brendon has been wowing local and national audiences since he was 8 years old. Performing along with his younger sister, he will play his accordion and keyboard. Don’t miss this amazing young man! Brendon will perform Saturday at 4:00 p.m. on the Family Stage, followed by Pasadena High School’s German Club Dancers at 5:00 p.m.

Returning this year, Kerry Christensen will take center stage on Friday at 6:00 and 7:30 p.m. and again throughout the day on Saturday at 12:00, 3:00, and 6:00 p.m. on the new Family Stage.   Kerry Christensen is not your typical yodeler.  He performs concerts and events in 23 states and several foreign countries.  Christian spent two years in Austria right after high school.  There he became interested in the alpine yodeling art.  After mastering this difficult medium, he was asked in l983 to move his six-member family to Orlando, Florida and perfect his yodeling skills at Walt Disney World’s® Epcot Center, where he performed for almost seven years. Look forward to hearing cowboy, alpine, cajun, Latin, Jewish, Hawaiian, jazz, classical- as well as his always popular and humorous – yodeling renditions.

One of the most popular German bands in Texas, Alpenfest, will again take the Island Oktoberfest Main Stage Saturday from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.  For over four decades,  this popular Texas band has been much more than an “oompah band”, as Alpenfest’s specialties include four 13-foot Swiss alphorns, a tuned set of Austrian cowbells, a German xylophone, tuned musical hand saws, and yodeling. In addition to these unique instruments, the Alpenfest Band performs with an accordion, tuba, and “all the other essentials that sound as if you were enjoying this music in the Alps.” Audience participation is also a very important part of Alpenfest, with the “Chicken Dance” and other fun novelty songs always included in their repertoire.

Midlife Crisis will play to a loyal following Friday night from 7:00 until 11:00 pm. For 14 years, this band of local doctors and attorneys has been entertaining on Galveston’s Strand , at galas and charitable events.  Tremendously popular and a crowd favorite in 2010, the band returns again this year to entertain at Island Oktoberfest.  Midlife Crisis specializes in music from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, adding new hits to current favorites.

The 30th Annual Island Oktoberfest will close Saturday evening with The Line Up. With a long history of pleasing crowds throughout the Galveston and Houston area, The Line Up continues to “know what the crowd wants and delivers it consistently.” This tightly knit group of accomplished musicians has made an art form of “providing the right song at the right time.” The band’s strength is the ability to adapt to any situation- for crowds of 20 to 2000.  The Line Up will take center stage from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m.

Island Oktoberfest Entertainment Schedule at a Glance

Fri, Oct. 21st

• Das Ist Lustig (5-8pm)
• Kerry Christensen (6 & 7:30 pm)
• Midlife Crisis (7-11pm)

Sat, Oct. 22nd

• Das Ist Lustig (11am-8pm)
• Kerry Christensen (12pm, 3pm & 6pm)
• Fanfare! Lutheran Music Academy  (2pm)
• Brendon Mac (4pm)
• Pasadena High School German Club Dancers (5pm)
• Alpenfest (11am-6pm)
• The Line Up (7-11pm)

About Galveston Island…
Galveston Island is a historic beach town located on the Gulf of Mexico just 50 miles from Houston. The island is best known as a vacation destination, offering 32 miles of beaches, a variety of family attractions, Texas’ premier cruise port and one of the largest and well-preserved concentrations of Victorian architecture in the country, including several National Historic Landmarks. Galveston Island is home to popular amusements such as, Moody Gardens, and Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark, as well as a variety of museums and recreational activities from surfing to birding. For more information on Galveston Island, please visit www.galveston.com or call 1-888-GAL-ISLE.