Cassie Foresman, Senior
This year’s Oktoberfest celebration at Palisades High School, hosted by our very own German Club, was a complete hit with not only the students, but also children, parents, and teachers! For the past decade, Oktoberfest has been a highly anticipated event in this community, and it never fails to exceed its expectations. As the German Club explains, this event is a fun and entertaining way to introduce common German traditions and festivities to the students and community.
The festivities started off with a classic German meal consisting of juicy bratwurst, sausages, sauerkraut, and warm bread and butter. Fortunately for everyone in attendance, the brilliant chefs in the kitchen made enough food for everyone to get second servings, and for some, even a third! But this is not where the cravings stopped. Piled high on the stage was a dessert table calling your name. No one made just one trip up to the table, which consisted of classic german desserts like strudels, strussels, cakes, pies, and more!
Once the buttons of everyone’s pants had popped off, the fun really started to begin with a traditional German dance, pictured to the right. With high energy and smiles on their faces, students formed two rings and ran around and around to upbeat German songs for as long as their hearts desired. The next activity was a classic march, where two or more people lock arms and march down the center walkway. This march showcases existing friendships while also creating new ones by switching up partners as they went! The love, friendship, and joy was spread all throughout the room.
Finally, the most anticipated event of the night had arrived: the pretzel eating contest. A line of boys and girls kneeled on the floor race to see who can finish their pretzel the fastest without using their hands. With every bite taken, the contestants were another step closer to victory. As the suspense grew and more people became neck to neck, two winners were crowned. For the girls, junior Neve Sherrard was awarded first place, and Hugh Salva for the boys. I’m sure both of these hungry students enjoyed every delicious bite!
Even near the end, the fun didn't dwindle. During polka dancing lessons, elementary kids, some dressed in their lederhosens, tore it up on the dance floor while learning about German culture. The liveliness only grew as more dances were taught. At the end of the night, the Polka Meister was awarded, with seniors Ben Doman and Nate Thoman taking home the crown.
This year’s German Club certainly pulled through and created a fun, lively, and educational Oktoberfest consisted of food, dancing, and games. If you missed this year’s event, make sure you mark your calendars for next year’s festivities, because you surely don't want to miss it!
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