Wunderbar! Oktoberfest brings Bavarian celebration to Lake George streets

Polkas, spinning teacups, craft vendors and a bier garden erected in the center of Canada Street diverted traffic through the Village of Lake George this weekend for the 5th Annual Lake George Oktoberfest. The three-day festival, which kicked off Friday evening, drew thousands to Lake George, further proof that the village does not go to sleep after Labor Day. September in Lake George was filled with activity as the Adirondack Nationals car show, the Jazz at the Lake Festival and American Music Festival for the Lake drew crowds equivalent to those seen at the height of the summer season.

Warm weather, brilliant sunshine and trees bursting with autumn colors added to the festive atmosphere created by lederhosen-clad performers, trays of steaming sausage and barrels of Adirondack Brewery beer. Activity centered around a giant tent housing the Adirondack Pub and Brewery’s famous beer wagon, a 25-foot stretch of tables laden with several varieties of German sausage, sauerbraten, schnitzel, German potato salad, potato pancakes, Bavarian pretzels and apple strudel. Rows of picnic tables, covered with blue and white checked tablecloths, provided indoor dining space. The head of the tent was dominated by a stage and dance floor.

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Sunday saw live performances from Hohenfels Trombone Quartet, a New York State-based ensemble that has toured across Germany and Austria, and the Vermont band Inseldudler. Iseldudler, which translates as “The Island Tooters,” got its start in Vermont’s Champlain islands. The band boasts a membership of 15 musicians that play German music at events across the region. Led by John Luce, a Vermont-certified teacher of the German language, Inseldudler interacted with their audience at the Oktoberfest, with Luce giving German lessons while performing so the crowd could sing along.

Outside the tent, arts and craft vendors were selling a variety of locally produced goods including honey and maple products, handmade apparel and jewelry. A bounce house, amusement park rides and a rock-climbing wall provided amusement for the kids. Shopkeepers up and down Canada Street threw open their doors and rolled out racks of merchandise onto the sidewalks for the hundreds of shoppers strolling by.

In Shepard Park, adults competed in their own games — stein lifting, keg tossing and keg rolling. Winners came away with sample packs of Adirondack Brewery beer and tickets to the Brewery’s own October Fest, which will be held at the Pub on Canada Street Oct. 17. Profits from next weekend’s Adirondack Pub and Brewery Octoberfest 2015 will benefit the North Country Ministry.