Oktoberfest starts Friday and continues Saturday

Bands downtown and at Holiday Inn; grape stomp Saturday at Morgan Creek

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- German brass bands plus local and regionally-acclaimed polka bands will enable you to oompah, polka and waltz the night away as Oktoberfest 2004 begins at 6 p.m., Friday at the Holiday Inn.

The Concord Singers take stage first, poolside. The Egerlander Musikanten follow at 7 p.m., 8:30 p.m. after the keg opening and from 10:30 p.m. to midnight.

Most of the group's performances are for reunions of former refugees and recent repatriates from Bohemia since 1983 in the U.S., Canada, France, Finland and Italy. They've even played the Schubert Mass at church festivals. Accompanying wives have been known to sing songs in chorus.

The Peter and Paul Wendinger Band will perform in the German Rivers Room from 8 p.m. to midnight.

On Saturday, downtown events begin at 11 a.m. with the Stan Carda Combo of New Ulm on stage on Center Street, near the Visitors Center from 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. The Wally Pikal Band of Hutchinson will play from 2 to 5 p.m.

Food stands and the beer trailer will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Vendors will offer brats, sauerkraut plus pork sandwiches, Greek food, mini-donuts and deli-style foods.

Horse-drawn trolly rides will be available from noon to 4 p.m. at Center and Minnesota streets.

Poolside music on Saturday begins at noon with the Bockfest Boys, aka Scott Sparlin and Smiley Wiltscheck of New Ulm making their 21st Oktoberfest performance. Their music includes polkas, waltzes, the two-step and classic rock.

The band will include New Ulm native Randy Domeier on drums, Steve Moran on keyboards, trombone, trumpet and bass horn; Anton "Tony" Berg on bass, concertina and trumpet; Olivia native Tim Haen on keyboards, harmonica, drums and violin; and Concord Singer Bob Beussman on baritone and trumpet.

The Egerlander Musikanten will trade the poolside stage with the Bockfest Boys.

The German Rivers Room will feature Cactus and The Jolly Brewers at 1:30 p.m. The Jolly Ramblers will perform Mass at 5:30 p.m. followed by the Leon Olsen Band at 8 p.m.

Music will continue until midnight poolside and till 1 a.m. on the German Rivers Room.

Holiday Inn Manager Rick Neumann said tour buses from Willmar, Freeman, S.D. and Iowa will be touring New Ulm over the weekend through Chamber of Commerce programs.

Neumann sounded excited about the music line-up.

"These German brass bands some very highly regarded," Neumann said.

A new Oktoberfest band, The Original Berstetaler Blasmusikanten will perform at the Holiday Inn poolside Friday and Saturday, Oct. 8 and 9.

The band finished first in the national music competition in Angermuende in 2003. It will also perform in Albert Lea and LaCrosse this fall.

Meanwhile, Cambria Crush, aka the Annual Great Grape Stomp, will take place at 1p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday at Morgan Creek Vineyards.

Grape stomp teams will be given two minutes to crush as much juice out of the grapes as possible. Most of the time, four people will share stomping duties with their bare feet in a plastic tub.

Team members will wash the purple grape juice off their ankles and feet with a garden hose.

In the past, the team that stomps the most juice wins a case of Morgan Creek wine. Second place was given to the team with the best costumes. Third place went to the team with the most unique team name.

The Traditional Morris Dancers and Sun Moon Belly Dancers will perform on the winery grounds. The Jim McGuire Jazz Trio will perform from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Other public touring around New Ulm at the 23rd Oktoberfest include the August Schell Brewery, John Lind House, Wanda Gag House, Harkin Store, Brown County Museum, Minnesota Music Hall of Fame and Hermann Monument, although Hermann himself is off his pedestal for repairs.

(Fritz Busch can be reached at fbusch@nujournal.com).