ICH BIN EIN OKTOBERFESTER! TRANSLATION: I AM AN OKTOBERFESTER

BENNINGTON, VT - It’s that time of year again when the beautiful foliage of fall takes over your photostream. Aside from the seasonal upswing in your Instagram feeds of apple cider, corn mazes, pumpkin and apple picking - there is this other phenomenon known as OKTOBERFEST.

Last Saturday at Colgate park the Norshaft Lions Club held their 6th annual Oktoberfest. The event which was $5 for anyone 12 & up was an absolute blast as it drew over 3,500. The weather was perfect and the fall foliage that overlooks the mountains was something out of a million dollar painting….actually, it was priceless. I have to admit, this Oktoberfest was something that I had been looking forward to for about a month now and boy did it deliver.

The admission members at the start couldn’t of been nicer and more welcoming I automatically felt at home. As soon as you passed the giant stalks of corn on your left, the place opened up and split into the vendor section of the fest. Like Garlic Fest, there was a variety of unique and eclectic products to shop through. I checked out some knitted quilts, various boutique clothes, tried some liquor and got some stickers from Spirits of Old Bennington, and finally stopped at the little side stop of Lewis’s Sugarhouse, where I snacked on some Maple Frosted Candies for a relatively inexpensive price (and oh my gosh these things were contagiously good).

While festivals like this can tend to not be as family friendly, the Norshaft Lions put there own spin on the German tradition and have really hit a grand slam with the whole day. I commend the Lions on making it a very family friendly atmosphere for all ages as the kids zone and wagon rides were booming with laughter and smiles.

The beer options were amazing as I tried the nice dark IPA and the citizen cider but there were more than 10 varieties to choose from. They sold out of almost all the food and beer by the time 4:30 rolled around (it ends at 5:00). So my expert advice would be to arrive earlier in the day to really take it all in. Ich bin ein Oktoberfester! Translation: I am an Oktoberfester.