Oktoberfest – La Crosse, Wisconsin

For other uses, see Oktoberfest (disambiguation).

Oktoberfest, USA is an annual celebration held in La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States, usually on the final week of September and into the beginning of October. Through the years, the celebration has drawn crowds of up to 150,000 people during the opening weekend.

History

The first Oktoberfest, USA, was held on October 13, 14, and 15, 1961. In early 1960, civic leaders had agreed that La Crosse needed a community wide activity of some sort. The Electric Auto-Lite Co. Had closed in 1959 and the Allis Chalmers plant had suffered a decline in earnings. The city had been without such an event since 1921. Because that earlier celebration had been a winter carnival, many of the leaders were in favor of renewing this idea as a La Crosse tradition.

During the fall of 1960, several officials of the La Crosse-based G. Heileman Brewing Company were also discussing an annual promotion. News of these discussions spread through the firm, eventually reaching the malt house, where two of the employees of German origin suggested an autumn festival similar to the Oktoberfest held annually in Munich. The idea was quickly accepted. In 1961, brewery officials contacted the La Crosse Chamber of Commerce and proposed the idea to chamber members. It was accepted, and both agreed that the chamber would act as the sponsoring organization.

In 1962, the name "Oktoberfest" was registered with the State of Wisconsin. In 1963, "Oktoberfest, USA" was registered and listed as a trademark with the federal government. In 1965, the newly formed La Crosse Festivals, Inc., purchased the assets of Oktoberfest from the Chamber of Commerce and became the sponsoring organization.

Civic leaders Joseph Becker, Carl Mertens, Bruce Hines, D.J. Petruccelli, Robert Mehren, Ross Hunt, Art Dugan, Harold Lee, Gerald Heberlein, D.D. Dickson and Robert McCann, brainstormed ideas for the festival and came up with five objectives:

• Promote city pride
• Obtain national publicity
• Promote tourism
• Involve a lot of people
• Make the fest a financial success

The First Oktoberfest

The first La Crosse Oktoberfest festival was held in a location between the post office and Mary E. Sawyer auditorium. A carnival area was also set up in the First Federal Savings & Loan parking lot at 6th & State St. Among the festivities were farm fair events including cow chip throwing and greased pig contests. Antique steam engines demonstrated the area’s early lumber industry.

Other activities included soccer matches, scenic boat and bus trips, a youth tent, as well as square dances, German music, and a “Queen Pageant.” The winner of that first pageant was Marlene Schultz, an 18-year-old from Winona, MN. In 1964 the Miss La Crosse pageant merged with the Miss Oktoberfest pageant to become Miss La Crosse/Oktoberfest. Nancy Zinn is crowned the first Miss La Crosse/Oktoberfest that year.

In addition to the above events, a parade was held. The 4-mile, three and a half-hour parade drew an estimated 30,000-50,000 spectators in 1961. 1962, the parade would be given the name “Maple Leaf Parade” at the suggestion of Terry Witzke, a teacher at Emerson Elementary school, in appreciation for La Crosse’s landscape.  That year, the parade drew 70,000 spectators from around the Midwest. In 1963, the parade drew 200,000. A second parade, named the Torchlight parade, was added in 1965 to showcase the north side of La Crosse. The parade marks the opening of the four-day celebration.

In subsequent years, additional festivities have been added including the traditional “Tapping of the Keg” ceremony followed by the Edelweiss Parade that accompanies the golden key to the fest grounds. There is also an annual Oktoberfest auto race held at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway (1969), a Medallion Hunt, (1971), Ladies Day Luncheon, Lederhosen Luncheon, Kartenspiele (card games), Dachshund Dash, Viener Vogue, and Craft Beer Night. In 1976, the festival added the Maple Leaf Marathon, which is now known as the YMCA Maple Leaf Walk-Run Half Marathon, held on Saturday during the fest.

Oktoberfest Today

The Oktoberfest celebration in La Crosse, Wisconsin is an annual German festival that made it's way to La Crosse in 1961. What started as a simple community event has turned into decades of tradition and good, old fashioned fun.

Oktoberfest serves as much more than an excuse to drink beer: Oktoberfest conserves German heritage, sustains German cultural practices and beliefs, and ensures the existence of German culture in the context of the future. This festival effectively evokes the area’s German heritage through authentic Bavarian music, German foods such as bratwursts and sauerkraut, pints of German brews, and people wearing traditional Bavarian clothing, dirndls and lederhosen. The importance and uniqueness of Oktoberfest to Wisconsinites’ heritage is prevalent as La Crosse’s celebration of Oktoberfest is one of the largest celebrations in the world and is the longest-running Oktoberfest in the midwestern area of the United States.

The La Crosse Oktoberfest schedule of events for 2019 included:

• Special Fester Ball
• Miss La Crosse/Oktoberfest USA Scholarship Pageant
• Parade Marshal Announcement
• Mrs. Oktoberfest Reception
• Festmaster's Ball

New La Crosse Oktoberfest events in 2019 included:

• Torchlight After Glow Bash
• Ed's Carnival Rides
• Maple Leaf Parade Family Zone
• Barks and Brews
• Brats for Seniors
• Kartenspiele

Signature Oktoberfest USA Events include:

• Oktoberfest USA Medallion Hunt
• Torchlight Parade
• Tapping of the Golden Keg
• Craft Beer Night

There are also 24 musical acts, German food, beer and tradition.

Oktoberfest Royal Family

In 1962, the position of Festmaster was created. This person was to be chosen based on his contributions to the community, as well as being a good family man with a reputation for honesty and integrity, successful in his chosen profession, along with other characteristics. The first Festmaster in 1962 was Don Rice, President of Exchange State Bank. The Festmaster is the head of the Oktoberfest Royal Family. In 1968, the title of Mrs. Oktoberfest was created, and the first winner was Joyce Lindseth. In 1971 the Festmaster’s Grenadier Corps was created to appear at Oktoberfest events along with the royal family.

Beer Tents

As beer is an important part of the original Oktoberfest celebration in Germany, the La Crosse Oktoberfest has always had a beer tent as part of the festivities. G. Heileman Brewing Company was the official supplier of beer during the fest’s early years. While this beer tent worked in the early years of the fest, by 1966, the beer tent was marked by “rowdiness and excessive drinking” which caused chaos in the aftermath as swarms of teenagers mobbed the bars in downtown La Crosse after the tent closed down. In response, the festival organizers in 1967 closed the beer tent and changed the focus to dairy products. This decision left the festival in a financial deficit. In 1968, the festival organization, Oktoberfest U.S.A., decided to promote the festival as a family event while bringing back the beer tent. They raised the drinking age inside the tent to 21 years old to cut down on the excessive drinking. Through 70s, 80s, and 90s, the South Side beer tent had its share of issues, especially the problem of beer throwing among the younger beer tent crowd. In response, the festival increased security and added local police to quell this habit.

Timeline

1965: the North Side Fest Grounds were created at the intersection of Rose and Clinton Streets (in Copeland Park) to coincide with the Torchlight parade. The North Side grounds were developed as the family grounds featuring carnival rides and games as well a small beer tent.

1971: the original fest grounds, now known as the South Side Fest Grounds moved from its original location to a new location at 2nd and La Crosse Streets (1 Oktoberfest Strasse) where a $20,000 permanent structure known as “The Bier Hall” was constructed.

1978: the inaugural Burgermeister Dinner is held, which evolved into what became the Burgermeister Breakfast. The breakfast honored the mayor and other city and council leaders.

1984: a permanent shelter to was constructed at Copeland Park to be used for protection during Oktoberfest and in winter as an ice rink with an accompanying warming house.

1989: the first “Special Fester”, an area child with special needs, was named. The Special Fester participates in many Royal Family activities and oversees Special Fester Day, a weekday of free carnival rides and activities for area children with special needs. Miranda Roberts of Onalaska was the first honoree.

2000: the festival was expanded from its original 4 days to 9 days and was named in a USA Today article as “one of the best Old-World folk festivals in the U.S.”

2007: the first Wienerfest was held. This annual event held in spring, helps to fund Oktoberfest activities.

2014: the festival was shortened back down to its original 4 days due to the festival losing money three of the previous four years.

2018: La Crosse Oktoberfest changed the method of entry. Originally, festgoers were able to enter the fest ground after purchasing an official Oktoberfest USA button. In order to better keep track of the number of people entering the grounds, they developed a printed pass with a bar code that is scanned prior to entry.

External links

• Oktoberfest USA - La Crosse, Wisconsin Official Website
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