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Enjoy brats and beer at Great Northwest Oktoberfest

| September 28, 2017 11:27 AM

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The ceremonial tapping of the first keg got events going Thursday evening at the Great Northwest Oktoberfest at Depot Park.

The weather’s getting cooler, the leaves are turning color and that can only mean one thing — it’s Oktoberfest time in Whitefish.

Time to crown a new Hop Queen, tap a few (hundred) kegs, do the Chicken Dance, saw a few logs and enjoy brats, beer and Bavarian-style hospitality at the eighth annual Great Northwest Oktoberfest Sept. 28 through Oct. 7 in downtown Whitefish. It will be seven nights (and two days) of authentic Bavarian food, drink, music and dancing, and the wildest array of audience participation contests.

Three great bands will provide non-stop oompah, polka, waltz, western swing, classic rock and other great dance music throughout the festival, with one of America’s most sought after Oktoberfest bands — Europa — entertaining the masses each night throughout the first weekend.

The following week, Canada’s polka legends — The Western Senators — will play under the Oktoberfest Bigtop on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, and will also make an appearance at the Firebrand Hotel on Wednesday, Oct. 4 for the 2017 Hop Queen Qualifier.

On Saturday afternoons it’s the Flathead’s own Bavarian brass band, the Bavarian Echoes.

The Great Northwest Oktoberfest takes place in Depot Park, at the corner of Central Avenue and Railway Street in downtown Whitefish. Admission to Oktoberfest is just $5 for adults and kids under 12 (accompanied by parents) are free. And don’t worry about the weather — come sunshine, rain, sleet or snow, it’ll be warm and toasty under the climate-controlled Oktoberfest Bigtop.

For more information, call the Whitefish Chamber at (406) 862-3501, or check out the event website at www.WhitefishOktoberfest.com.

Hop Queen

Oktoberfest’s fourth annual Hop Queen competition and crowning is set for Oct. 4-5, as Queen Kendra the Third relinquishes her crown (and title) to one of the lovely ladies of lager who’ll be vying for the honor. This year’s competition will be a two-day affair, beginning with the inaugural Hop Queen Qualifier on Wednesday, Oct. 4 from 6-8 p.m. at the Firebrand Hotel. Hop Queen candidates (and the Western Senators) will be on hand to mix, mingle and answer questions from the judges, as they compete for the coveted Hop Queen crown.

The new queen will be crowned with great pomp and circumstance the following night, Thursday Oct. 5, and will “reign” over Oktoberfest for the last weekend of this year’s event and the first weekend of Oktoberfest 2018. Hop Queen application/nomination forms are available at the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce office or call 862-3501 for more information.

Gone Fishin’ Goes to Oktoberfest

Also scheduled for the night of Thursday, Oct. 5 is the second annual Bavarian business night promotion, aka “Gone Fishin’ Goes to Oktoberfest.”

Just think of it as America’s largest German-themed business after hours; open to business folks from throughout the Flathead Valley, and co-hosted by the Whitefish, Kalispell, Columbia Falls and Bigfork chambers of commerce.

Free admission simply for showing local business card , and once inside, take part in the biz-to-biz stein-holding contests, enjoy a fabulous Great Northern Oktoberfest beer, and do a little bit of networking, Oktoberfest-style!

Oktoberfest Times

Week No. 1

Thursday, Sept. 28 5-11 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 29 5-11 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 30 Noon to 11 p.m.

Week No. 2

Wednesday, Oct. 4 6-8 p.m.

(Firebrand Lodge – Hop Queen Qualifier)

Thursday, Oct. 5 5-11 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 6 5-11 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 7 Noon to 11 p.m.

Crowning Hop Queen

At the annual Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, a Hop Queen is selected to preside over the festivities.

Since Whitefish, Montana is at the same latitude as Munich, and since Oktoberfest has now become an annual tradition in northwest Montana, a Hop Queen is crowned each year to reign over the Great Northwest Oktoberfest celebration.

Oktoberfest is all about winding down the busy summer season, blowing off some steam and having fun.

“We are looking for the kind of Hop Queen that embodies the qualities that the community of Whitefish has come to relish in its absolutely relentless pursuit of fun,” said Kevin Gartland, executive director of Whitefish Chamber of Commerce.

The Hop Queen gets a $500 cash prize, sponsored by Great Northern Brewing Company and Glacier Hops Ranch, and authentic German dirndl, complimentary food and beverage at Oktoberfest and a floral hop crown, all sponsored by the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce.

Hop Queen candidates must be at least 21 years old and there are no residency requirements.

The Hop Queen must be a “lover of all things hoppy” and know her hops and beer.

She must be available to “reign” over the final two days of the 2017 Oktoberfest on Oct. 6 and 7, and for the first weekend of the 2018 Oktoberfest on Sept. 27, 28 and 29, 2018. Duties at the festival include meeting and greeting fest-goers, recruiting contestants for audience participation games, participation in opening ceremonies and keg-tappings and assisting the Master of Ceremonies.

The 2017 Oktoberfest Hop Queen will also be invited to ride in the 2018 Winter Carnival parade and participate in other notable personal appearance events during the year.

This year’s competition will be a two-day affair, beginning with the inaugural Hop Queen Qualifier on Wednesday, Oct. 4 from 6-8 p.m. at the Firebrand Hotel. The new queen will be crowned with great pomp and circumstance the following night, Thursday, Oct. 5 at the Oktoberfest Bigtop in Depot Park.

Only six finalists will be selected to compete.

Hop Queen application/nomination forms are available at the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce office or call 862-3501 for more information.

Food

Make no mistake about it, two of the “stars of the show” at Oktoberfest are the food and the beer, and this year’s menu at the Oktoberfest Bar and Grille is as German as it gets!

Manning the Oktoberfest kitchen this year will be the folks at Huckepack BBQ (known the other 50 weeks of the year as Piggyback BBQ), and they will be serving it up in true Bavarian style.

In addition to the German sausages that are always festival favorites, the Huckepacks are sure to have something special up their sleeves ... all of it served up with all your favorite German side dishes: sauerkraut, potato salad, sweet and sour cabbage and more.

Of course, what would Oktoberfest be without great beer ... and at the Whitefish version of this time-tested Bavarian celebration, you’ll find nothing but the best! The Munich-based Hofbrau Brewery is back for 2017, pouring four great beers produced by one of the most legendary beer makers in the world. Hofbrauhaus translates literally to “Royal Beer Factory” — a fitting description for one of the original Munich Oktoberfest breweries — and they’ll be pouring their original Hofbrau Lager, Dunkel and Oktoberfest lager.

Not to be outdone, the hometown brew-meisters at the Great Northern Brewing Company will be putting their best foot forward as well. In addition to their 2017 Oktoberfest lager, Great Northern will be pouring the ever-popular Wheatfish and two other seasonal favorites.

Wine drinkers can choose from chardonnay, cabernet or riesling, and a variety of non-alcoholic beverages will also be available.

Contests

Each night at Oktoberfest, you’re invited to get “into the act” by participating in one of the hourly contests on (and around) the Main Stage. Log-sawing, stein-holding, keg-hurling, mountain-climbing, Bavarian barrel racing — just pick your shot, and show us what you got!

Back to defend his title this year will be five-time Whitefish Stein-Holding champion Kevin Collom, who last week competed in the U.S. Masskrugstemmen (Stein-Holding) Championships in New York City. This year’s champ will be determined on the last night of Oktoberfest on Saturday, Oct. 7 with the victor winning a trip to the National Semifinals in Las Vegas next summer. The winner of that competition goes to the finals in New York in September, and the U.S. Champ wins an all-expense paid trip for two to Munich, Germany.

The local stein-holding king gets the “royal treatment” courtesy of the Hofbrau Brewery in Munich, Germany, sponsors of the National Championships and the official German beer of Oktoberfest! Four different Hofbrau beers will be poured at this year’s fest, alongside four great brews from Whitefish’s own Great Northern Brewing Company.

Kids Day & Pumpkin Patch

Saturday Sept. 30 will be “Kids Day at Oktoberfest,” so bring out the whole family for a great fall afternoon of family-style fun co-hosted by the Whitefish Parks Department. There will be a pair of bounce houses for the young’uns to explore, a climbing wall, face-painting, the kids’ chicken dancing championships on the main dance floor, and other activities geared toward the young … and the young at heart.

The following Saturday, Oct. 7, Oktoberfest teams up with the Childrens’ House Montessori School for their annual Pumpkin Patch, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Pumpkin Patch continues to provide an opportunity for families to celebrate the beauty and tradition of autumn in Whitefish by enjoying a Saturday downtown pressing cider, sampling soups made by local restaurants, and spending quality family time together. Children’s activities include games, face painting, a bouncy house and much more!

Pumpkins, baked goods, a variety of delicious soups, warm bread, hot dogs, and freshly pressed cider will be available for purchase. Gently used Halloween costumes will also be for sale. All proceeds benefit Children’s House Montessori School, a nonprofit preschool, serving the community of Whitefish for 30 years. Please call 863-4685 or email info@chmswhitefish.org for more information.