It’s time to dig out the dirndl, locate the lederhosen, and secure the sennerhut. The leaves are turning, and Oktober is in the air. Oktoberfest is that special German party that is celebrated with enough bratwurst, pretzels, and beer to keep upward of 7 million visitors and locals in the Munich area raising their glasses with hearty shouts of “Prost!” for two full weeks.
In 1810, a grand party was held to celebrate the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Princess Therese of Saxony Hildburghausen. The festivities included parades and horse races, carriages, and shooting matches. The Bavarian-brewed kegs of Märzenbier were tapped, and so began the 215-year-old tradition.
Today, Oktoberfest has circled the globe, so don’t worry if you can’t make it to Munich, Frankfurt, or Berlin (not to mention Brazil, where the world’s second-largest Oktoberfest celebration occurs each year). Right here in Tallahassee, there are quieter versions of that Volksfest—celebrations that achieve the community togetherness that arises when people link arms and sip some brew…