TETON VALLEY OKTOBERFEST, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
A long time ago, I had the occasion to live in Munich for two wasted college semesters. I kicked the fall semester off by attending Oktoberfest with a vengeance. I knew the inside of the Lowenbrau tent quite well. My roommate asked me if I went on any rides after my many nights there. They had this enormous Ferris wheel, see? I responded to her by saying, “There are rides there?” Such is youth.
Although I haven’t been back to Germany since I left in 1989, being able to experience Oktoberfest has lasted as a blurry memory for me - the beer fraus with their heavily exercised arms; the sheer number of people; the fist fights. Every time I see an Oktoberfest themed ad during the fall, or see a blue and white checked beer label, my memory is triggered and I smile just a little.
But since having lived in this here Teton Valley, I have developed new Oktoberfest memories. You see, we have a brewery here. It’s owned by a German. It’s been in business for twenty years. What is the most obvious kind of party a German brewery owner would be a part of? I’ll give you a couple of seconds to think about it.
Last year when I attended the Teton Valley Foundation’s Oktoberfest celebration at the Grand Teton Brewery, I was a guest. I drank with everyone else and tried to stay warm in 40 degree freezing rain conditions. It was a decent turnout, despite the conditions.
This year, I attended the Oktoberfest as a member of the Teton Valley Foundation Board and as a volunteer. I helped to coordinate the event, which demanded a heavy time commitment and numerous phone calls and emails. These “new” Oktoberfest memories were going to be shaped by the influence of a non-profit organization that struggles every year to throw the stellar Music on Main event for the community.
Instead of experiencing something like, say, witnessing a heavily inebriated German vomit all over the guy next to him – this time around I was witness to volunteers working their butts off to ensure the crowd was placated with both beer and food. Instead of being concerned about my next beer, I was more concerned about when the next volunteer would arrive to alleviate a shift of others.
I spent a lot of the time worrying about the weather and what the final proceeds of the event would turn out to be, but to be honest, it was a great party. The crowd came to drink and have a good time. They scoffed at the rain and stayed outside, despite the fact that our weather was hectic throughout the event. Between heavy rain and high winds, we had partly sunny skies and a few rainbows. Mother Nature was intent on giving us a typical Teton Valley autumn day, and boy did she serve it up.
Ultimately, I am happy that it’s over. But it was worth both the planning and the execution – and it gave me even more insight to what this valley is made of and who its people are. I was overwhelmed by volunteer support and the crowd’s enthusiasm for the event.
Prost!
