The Rotary Club of Edmonds Oktoberfest celebration got off to an energetic start Friday afternoon, providing a perfect spot to start your weekend with a glass of beer and a classic German wurst, all accompanied by the irresistibly danceable traditional sounds of the Bonnie Birch Band.
A variety of food booths offer up an array of choices from German to traditional Asian and everything in between. But — in keeping with the Oktoberfest vibe — the Ziegler’s Bratwurst stand was particularly busy on the first night as it served up a steady stream of brats smothered in sauerkraut, the traditional complement to a proper glass of beer.
And speaking of beer, the choices on tap ran the gamut from dark to light, hoppy to malty, domestic to imported.
Many visitors took the opportunity to pull out the traditional German lederhosen, lace dresses with decorative bodices and, of course, alpine hats (also available for sale at the event).
Oktoberfest runs through Saturday at Edmonds Civic Field. Admission to the 21-plus beer garden is $10, but the food booths are outside the fence and available to all. For more information, go to the event website here.
— Story and photos by Larry Vogel
I have mixed feelings about this Oktoberfest. Saw some lederhosen, tyroleans, and dirndls which are always a kick to see. No pretzels, no beer cheese, no schnitzel, not even German potato salad? Shout out to Zeigler’s for being the only sausage place there (with sauerkraut). Plenty of Asian, Caribbean, Latin, and Cajun options at Oktoberfest which gets you points for diversity, but misses the mark for authenticity. Pro tip: Bratwurst with kimchi is fantastic. I missed the polka band but caught the Irish themed band. It’s got to be challenging to book 10 hours of oompah music. Nice work with the beer selection: marzen, lager, even a mailbock! The dunkel was my favorite. Missing a few popular German styles such as pilsner, kolsch, hefeweizen. Perhaps next year? Thank you, Rotary Club!