Curtis Oktoberfest Offers Music, Food This Saturday

German food, lederhosen, and polka await the thousands who are expected to attend the third annual Curtis Oktoberfest this Saturday, September 26, in Curtis. Organizers expect more than 2,000 people to attend the end-of-summer festival. It starts at noon in the park area at the corner of Lake and Main streets, and continues until 8 p.m.

Beth Nicholls of the Curtis Area Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the festival, said it is an event for the whole family.

"It's a lot of fun. There's lots of free activities for kids to do," she said, including an art tent, penny scramble, pumpkin painting, face painting, and minnow racing. "The festival is just getting bigger each year."

One of the highlights will be the best dressed Bavarian contest, where men and women will don their best traditional German lederhosen and dirndls, with the winners to be decided by the audience.

Those who like to show off their polka talents will be able to do so while listening to The Polish Muslims, a polka-rock band from Hamtramck. The band will take the stage under the main tent between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.

"We're renting an actual dance floor so people can get out there and polka," Ms. Nicholls said. "We have a great band, too."

The band has a sizable following, she said, and she is expecting many of its fans from downstate to attend the Upper Peninsula festival.

Several food vendors from around the area will also be on hand selling traditional German and German-inspired foods, including Weber's Rustic Inn and the Curtis Fireworks Council, who will be serving funnel cakes. Locally made beverages will also be featured. The Keweenaw Brewing Company from Houghton and the Michigan Brewing Company from Webberville will be the featured beer vendors, and the Threefold Vine Winery from Garden and Mackinaw Trail Winery from Manistique will be wine vendors.

Oktoberfest will also feature a soup cook-off from noon to 1 p.m., which anyone can enter, and a pie sale organized by the Curtis Women's Club will take place all day.

One of the things that sets the Curtis Oktoberfest apart from similar festivals around the state, Ms. Nicholls said, is its free admission. Food and beverages can be purchased from event vendors.