Totally Texas -- Prost! It’s Oktoberfest in Addison

The question posed to the group of friends at the Addison, Texas, Oktoberfest was, why is it called Oktoberfest when it’s in September?

The smart guy who’s lived in Germany mentioned some royal wedding hundreds of years ago that happened in October and gave everybody an excuse to drink lots and lots of beer. Not, I suspect, that anybody really needed an excuse for that. But why September? Because, mister know it all said, weather in the German Alps gets significantly colder come October, seriously cutting into the time people want to be outside, even outside drinking beer.

But as all Texans know, the real reason Oktoberfest is in September is to keep it from interfering with the State Fair, when Texans stay outside drinking lots and lots of beer. Not that we need an excuse for that.

And the reason I’m blogging about the Addison Oktoberfest the week before it starts is so you can get a free head start on all the fun. Oktoberfest in Addison begins next Thursday, September 18, at 6 p.m. And the first day is totally free. For the rest of the festival’s run, September 19-21, tickets for adults are $10, for children ages 4-12, $5.

You’ll still need coupons ($1 each) to buy food and beverages. And there’s plenty of food, schnitzel, strudel, pretzels, and lots and lots of sausage. You can eat at tables under air-conditioned tents (because September in Texas can be seriously warm), or at tables in the biergarten in the park, or as you stroll, visiting the vendors whose booths cover Addison’s Circle Park, between Addison Road and Quorum Drive.

Expect lots of music and dancing as well. My grandsons uninhibitedly hit the dance floor with a crowd of other kids. Once we dragged them away, they raced off to the miniature carnival rides and games on the south side of the park, leaving the grownups to stroll off their sausages and beer.

Need more to do? There’s a yodeling competition, a German spelling bee, a dachshund
race and and not only beer barrel rolling but beer barrel bowling. Advance tickets to Addison Oktoberfest are sold out, but day tickets are available at main ticket gate (where you can also buy food and beverage coupons). See www.addisontexas.net/events/Oktoberfest for details.

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Must imbibe this weekend? Try Grapefest in Grapevine, now through Sunday, September 14. Stomp the grapes, taste the wine, listen to music, stroll Grapevine’s charming historic downtown. See www.grapevinetexasusa.com/.