OKTOBERFEST     NOVEMBER 7TH  

The Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission is staging Henderson’s first Oktoberfest with performances by the Little German  Band and Dancers on Saturday November 7, 2009 from 11:00 to 3:00 p.m. downtown.

The DDC is also inviting food vendors, arts and crafts vendors and businesses to participate in the festival.  Children’s games, including a moonwalk, an obstacle course and a slide, will be featured, too.

“We are tremendously excited about the first Oktoberfest in downtown Henderson,” said Jason Stewardson, chairman of the board of directors for the DDC.  “We hope to continue this event year after year along with other celebrations in the downtown area.  The Little German Band and Dancers have traveled the world since their start in 1971 having fun and promoting Bavarian and German songs and dances.  In Henderson the group of musicians and dancers will number between 24 to 48 fully costumed performers.

Traditional Oktoberfest celebrations are held anytime from mid-September through the first week in November, usually marking the end of the harvest and the preparation for winter, according to Phil Lakernick, director of the DDC and Henderson’s Main Street manager.  A 16-day Oktoberfest festival held in Munich each fall in considered the world’s largest fair.  The original “Oktoberfest” occurred just shy of 200 years ago-Oct. 18, 1810 in Munich for the commemoration of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig, who later became King Ludwig I, and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, according to Lakernick.The celebration gave thanks to the Lord for the crops and blessings and to share in the joy of the marriage.  In 1887 the entry of breweries that showcased the decorated horse teams and the bands that play in the festival tents were added.

Ocktoberfest is celebrated today in many countries other than in
Germany and its timing is based on the harvest and country’s climate.  It was believed that a festival at this time would provide an ideal “relief valve” and a way to give thanks for the abundant harvest.