Vail Oktoberfest celebrates a long time of oom-pah enjoyable within the Vail Valley

Oktoberfest celebrations have been part of the material of Vail for many years, which is not any shock when you think about its roots with such ski pioneers as Pepi Gramshammer from Innsbruck, Austria, Ricky Andenmatten from Zermatt, Switzerland and restaurateurs like Austrians Hermann Staufer and Pepi Langegger, who began The Lancelot and different Vail eating institutions. Helmut Fricker, an iconic entertainer from Germany who has performed the accordion and alpenhorn within the Vail Valley for a lot of a long time, remembers Oktoberfest celebrations throughout Vail’s early days.

“In the early 1970s, I talked to the Vail Chamber of Commerce at that time and said, ‘Let’s do an Oktoberfest,’ and they said, ‘How are we going to do that? Where are we going to do it?’ So, long story short, we put a little stage up at Golden Peak and put a little tent there, and guess what? 250 people showed up,” Fricker mentioned. “It was first called Vailfest. We really didn’t start calling it Oktoberfest until a few years later.”

Oktoberfest within the Vail Valley now spans three weekends, with Beaver Creek kicking it off over Labor Day weekend, and Lionshead Village and Vail Village internet hosting it the next two weekends. It’s grown fairly a bit because the early days.

---

---

“I think when Highline Sports and Entertainment really got it going over two decades ago, that’s when it really gained momentum,” mentioned Brian Nolan, proprietor of Blue Moose Pizza in Beaver Creek and Lionshead, Ein Prosit in Avon and Mountain Fish House in Edwards. He and his son, Wil Nolan, are placing on the Oktoberfest celebrations in Vail. “That’s when James Deighan and Highline took it to the next level and brought in keg bowling and other fun competitions.” There will even be costume contests for youths, women and men and a stein holding contest at Oktoberfest in Lionshead Village and Vail Village.  

One factor that’s been a relentless at Oktoberfest in Vail is the Bavarian music and leisure. Helmut Fricker can nonetheless be discovered taking part in his accordion and his alpenhorn along with his group, The Rhinelanders Band. Other favorites embody the Average German Band, the Polkanauts and Neue Polka Band. New this yr is the Grammy-nominated accordion taking part in sensation Alex Meixner.

---

---

“We met Alex at an Oktoberfest celebration in Georgia last year, and we told Brian Nolan that he had to get him to play here,” Fricker mentioned. “He plays all kinds of instruments and really gets the crowd going.”

“I told Helmut that, ironically, I already had booked Alex Meixner to play this year,” Nolan mentioned. “He plays everything from the traditional oom-pah tunes to contemporary songs. With the recent passing of Ozzy Osbourne, he’s now has three or four Ozzy Osbourne songs figured out on the accordion.”

Being a restaurant man, Nolan is comfortable to be bringing out so many native eating places who can be serving up numerous twists on German delicacies from their cubicles. Garfinkel’s is doing turkey legs and a pork plate, Sweet Basil is doing a smoked brief rib reuben, Hooked is making smoked salmon nachos together with its pork shank and veal shank. Nolan’s personal Ein Prosit will serve classics like pretzels, bratwurst, spicy Italian sausage and the sausage taster the place you’ll be able to attempt all of the sausages on a stick. Look for extra of your favourite eating places to be promoting nice eats throughout each weekends after which wash it down with a Stiegl beer, the official beer sponsor of the occasion.

If you’re actually into brats, participate within the Polidori Bratwurst consuming contest which can be taking place each weekends.

“Polidori Sausage is celebrating their 100th year. They are a fourth-generation company from Colorado, so, we’re having some fun with their hundredth on our 50th and they’re a great sponsor of ours,” Nolan mentioned.

This is a household pleasant occasion with the Bavarian Kinder Club open every day with enjoyable arts and crafts, a bounce home, face portray and extra. If you wish to look the half, there can be merchandise cubicles the place you should purchase t-shirts and different garb. Nolan mentioned they’ve additionally created some pins to gather, together with the extremely coveted golden wiener pin.

Authentic performers from the entrance vary embody the Denver Kickers Schuhplattlers the primary weekend and the Alpen Auerhahn Schuhplattlers the second weekend.

“People hear about Oktoberfest in Munich but many don’t get to experience it. We try to bring a bit of that to Vail. It’s a beautiful time of year to be here and when you look out at the Gore Range it’s like the Alps,” Fricker mentioned.

Fricker has carried out in all 50 states and travels to many Oktoberfest celebrations and mentioned it’s outstanding how it’s celebrated worldwide.

“I love everything about it, I want to have an Oktoberfest on the moon. But, you know why I’m not doing that? Because it has no atmosphere,” joked Fricker.

To study extra about Oktoberfest in Lionshead this weekend and Vail Village subsequent weekend, go to OktoberfestVail.com for a schedule, listing of bands, how one can get steins and extra.