Oktoberfest, planned by the German programs at East and North, took place at East Oct. 18. It was the inaugural festival for the high schools, filled with food, drinks, activities and celebration. Oktoberfest was planned to resemble the actual German festival that takes place for two weeks in Munich, Germany, but for another reason as well.
“It was a fundraiser to lower the cost for students to go to Germany next summer,” said Brian Maloney, North German teacher.
Students at North and East go to the district’s partner school in Hamburg, Germany every other year. They spend three weeks with families there, and then in the fall, the students from Germany come to St. Charles and attend East or North for three weeks.
“It’s like a homecoming for [the students at] either East or North because they don’t have anything like that in Germany, so that’s really cool for them to experience when they’re here,” said Maloney. “And then we go to Chicago with them and show them the city, and then they’ll probably do their own little trip to New York.”
At the festival, German foods were offered. According to Adrianna Flint, the director of this year’s festival, bratwurst, root beer, potato pancakes, pretzels and cheese were served. The selection was chosen since it represents the best of German culture seen at actual festivals in Germany.
There were two major games: the strudel-eating competition and the mug contest. In the mug contest, competitors fully extend their arm with a mug in their grip and try to hold the mug as long as possible. This year’s winner clocked in at six minutes and two seconds.
“People seemed to have a lot of fun participating in those, so it was a good time to watch everyone [join in],” said Maloney.
There was also a duo of German band players. One player was on a German-made tuba, while the other played the accordion. Throughout the evening, the band played waltzes, polkas and marches to replicate the atmosphere that might be found at a traditional festival in Germany.
Many students enjoyed Oktoberfest because of the food and activities.
“I would rate it a 10/10 because the food was delicious and people [looked] like they’re enjoying themselves and having a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the live music,” said an anonymous student at Oktoberfest.
Maloney also noted the effort that made the inaugural Oktoberfest possible.
“Oktoberfest wouldn’t have been possible without the donations of time, food and money from all of the parents of the German students, and even teachers donated their time to volunteer as well, so we’re really grateful to all those parents and teachers that really helped us out,” he said.
