Oktoberfest is officially here! De’juh and I, Jalisha, have never personally gone to this festival, but this weekend we are glad we did. We volunteered there for the JROTC Academy to receive community service hours and free Military Ball tickets. Since every year we have our Military Ball at the German Country Club we decided to help them out.
“What is Oktoberfest?”
According to “Britannica” Oktoberfest is “an annual festival in Munich, Germany, held over two weeks ending on the first Sunday in November. The festival originated on October 12, 1810, in celebration of the marriage of the crown prince of Bavaria, who later became King Louis I, to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen.”
Oktoberfest is in other terms a German beer and food festival that offers a variety of beer, snacks, meals, entertainment, merchandise, and vendor/pop-up shop stands. This festival is filled with traditional German meals, clothes, music, and don’t forget the Lager (beer). You can see this beer in everybody’s hand in a pint mug when walking around. This festival represents the happening of a specific royal marriage back in 1810 and is continues to be celebrated here in Lake Worth.
“What Happens At The Oktoberfest?”
Since De’juh and I were volunteering in the actual building of the German Country Club serving food, we could not see what was going on outside. However, on the inside of the building we got to see a German lady singing German songs, in a German outfit called a Dirndl. (A traditional dress for women and girls, this dress has a tight waistband and vibrant designs and is usually below knee length).
Many people were dancing together on the dance floor having a good time. At one point the lady stopped and taught the crowd how to do some dances in her culture for people who did not know how to do German dances and it was such a blast. The dances that were being taught were folk dancing. If you didn’t know, there are multiple types of folk dancing but the one I saw was Polka.
Once the volunteering was over, we went outside to eat a meal I served over a hundred times which was the jagerschnitzel and the whole place was packed. The people were drinking beer, eating food, and listening to music. On top of that, they have a big concert setup for German musicians to play some songs for the crowd. The music is different from today’s music but it was amazing. Some people were even shopping at the vendor stands.
“Do They Sell Anything?”
Yes, they do. German and American cuisines and deserts are offered: hot dogs, sausage platters, fries, cheeseburgers, hamburgers, coffee, tea, pretzels, jägerschnitzel (breaded pork cutlets), sauerbraten (gravy marinated beef roast), bratwurst (sausage), pork shanks (marinated pig forearms), goulash (sauce marinated beef cubes), potato pancakes, red cabbage, mashed potatoes with gravy, pasta, pilsner (brewed golden beer), brotchen (German bread rolls), bienenstich (yeast and almond dessert cake filled with vanilla/buttercream filling), and black forest cake (chocolate cream cake with cherry filling.)
These are sold inside and outside of the entertainment and dining areas, having stands that go all around the festival. Also, they sell stuff at the vendor/pop-up shops, where they sell: earrings, necklaces, bracelets, clothes, candles, keychains, and ornaments.
The Volunteer Portion
De’juh and I arrived at Oktoberfest at 1:15 p.m. and were given green JROTC vests and volunteer badges then taken over to the main dining area which was in the German Country Club and we were introduced to the kitchen staff and servers, who taught us the names of the foods and the directions for serving them. Here, we served jägerschnitzel, sauerbraten, pork shanks, goulash, red cabbage, pasta noodles, and mashed potatoes with the help of other students and the supervision of the kitchen staff. We served food up until 6:00 p.m. When we were switched out with other students, they gave us free food and drink tickets and we were able to purchase meals and drinks with our tickets.
Everybody in general was very kind and genuine making us feel as though we belonged there, from the workers down to some of the excellent customers. The German Country Club said, “We were nice gentlemen and ladies.” Interacting with the customers was one of the best parts of the experience because they were so welcoming and understanding. On occasion, I, Jalisha, would sing along with the customers and dance.
If you had a chance to go to Oktoberfest I would highly recommend it because it was just so amazing. De’juh said, “she would love to go back” and “it was so nice to see the people in their German outfits.” Louckens Philippe, another guest at Oktoberfest, said, “I went with my fam and baby brother, and although it closed way too early, we had a good time.” In my, (Jalisha), opinion it was one of the best festivals I have ever been to and you need to go!
Here are some photos below:
