What is Oktoberfest, and where can you still celebrate in Utica?
There are plenty of Oktoberfest celebrations on tap in the Utica area, including Saranac’s event today and tomorrow and the Polish Community Club’s event on Saturday, Oct. 21.
But what is Oktoberfest, anyway?
Ray Beck, vice president of Utica Maennerchor, explained that the traditional Oktoberfest celebration in Munich, Germany is based on a royal wedding from over two centuries ago.
“The Oktoberfest celebration commemorates a wedding in Munich in the 19th century, of the Crown Prince of Bavaria marrying a princess from Austria,” Beck said. “And it’s kind of the official opening of the fall season. So that's a large two-week celebration in Munich, Germany, and a lot of German organizations, as well as businesses here, have a lot of Oktoberfest parties that trace back to a wedding celebration that lasted for two weeks in Germany.”
Germany celebrates Oktoberfest for two full weeks, ending on the first Sunday in October, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. The encyclopedia noted that the royal wedding that started it all took place on Oct. 12, 1810.
So why does Oktoberfest primarily take place in September? To take advantage of the typically more pleasant September weather, Beck said.
German heritage
F.X. Matt Brewing Company, which owns flagship brands Saranac and Utica Club, is a family-owned brewery founded by German immigrant Francis Xavier Matt in 1888. His great-grandson Fred Matt is the current president of the brewery.
Matt said that his ancestor settled in Utica because he had a distant relative here, but also because Utica reminded him of his home, the Black Forest region. The company has been holding Oktoberfest celebrations on and off for the past 30 years.
“Having German heritage and being a family that came from Germany, I think it's really appropriate that we celebrate Oktoberfest, and Americanize it in our way,” Matt said.
Utica Maennerchor and F.X. Matt Brewing Company share a German origin story: the German cultural club was started by workers at the Charles Bierbauer Brewery in 1865, while the elder Matt took over ownership of that very same brewery in 1888.
Bringing Munich to Utica
Admission is free to Saranac’s Oktoberfest. The brewery will commence their celebration, which runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. today and Saturday at their Biergarten, with a ceremonial keg-tapping. This tradition is reflective of the customary kickoff to Munich’s Oktoberfest.
“We're going to have special beers for Oktoberfest, and just to kind of christen the event, we’re going to be tapping a keg,” Matt said. “It just makes it kind of fun. Everybody kind of circles around the tapping, and it just makes it more eventful.”
Those special beers include German lagers like Festbier, Das Boot (which is also the nickname of a boot-shaped beer glass that Germans typically sip from during Oktoberfest), and Doppelbock. Saranac will serve hearty German specials like chicken schnitzel and warm potato salad, and feature performances by the Edelweiss Schuhplattlers, the Maennerchor’s own German-Austrian folk dance troupe.
Meanwhile, the Polish Community Club’s celebration will be one for the night owls, beginning at 4 p.m. on Oct. 21 and technically ending the next day at 2 a.m. at 810 Columbus St. All are welcome, with free admission for club members and children under 12 and $5 admission for everyone else.
The beer will flow and authentic German/Polish cuisine will be on the menu. Guests can dance the night away to the award-winning stylings of Tony’s Polka Band.
Cracking open a cold one
Beck, who has German heritage and taught German at New Hartford High School for 30 years, painted a vivid, carb-filled picture of a typical Munich Oktoberfest.
“All the major breweries are getting a chance to push their products, and of course, also the German foods that go along with that,” Beck said. “It could be a beer in a large one-liter mug and those large Bavarian pretzels, which you can hang around your neck and chew on as you're spending your day there enjoying the German music.”
Matt is excited to share in the celebration of beer with guests in the Saranac Biergarten.
“You can bring your dogs and bring your kids – we want everybody,” Matt said. “It's totally inclusive. And I think it's just a fun day to be outside and share beer with the people we brew for. There's nothing better than enjoying the fruits of your labor with customers that love your beer.”
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Oktoberfest: A history of the event and where to celebrate in Utica
