I'm hoping Monica won't mind my "plagiarizing" the excellent description she published on her website yet again. It describes this event and it’s origins perfectly.
How It All Started . . .
Est. 1971
Hans and Erika Bandows, as a way of saying thank you to all of their new clients and the new friends who had welcomed them to Big Bear Lake, decided to hold an Oktoberfest just like the one they had attended so often in Munich.
For many days beforehand and with the help of their two daughters, Janet and Monica, the Bandows’ cooked, cleaned, decorated and cooked some more. Erika in the kitchen preparing authentic German food. The smells of sauerkraut and rouladen filling the lodge and making everyone’s mouths water. Hans, with sweat on his brow preparing the dance floor, hoisting kegs of beer and rounding-up the band.
Finally, with anticipation in their hearts, the Bandows household greeted their first guests and what would become a tradition for more than four decades, the first Oktoberfest in Big Bear Lake began.
At precisely 12:00 noon Burgermeister Hans struck mallet to wood and cried “Ozphat Is!” cracking open the first keg of Oktoberfest beer. The band followed his lead and the merry sounds of the first polka filled the mountain air.
Today the tradition continues. The Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest has grown to be one of the most renowned authentic in the United States.
Oktoberfest “Unplugged” celebrates the heritage of Big Bear’s event. Gather together with many of the personalities who helped start and grow this annual festival. Enjoy Rouladen, red cabbage, Apfel Strudel, German spirits and beers like those introduced back in 1971. A night of singing, dancing, eating and, of course, drinking in true German fashion.
And, to further whet your appetite, here's a look at the evening's menu. You can refer to it later when you see the pictures.
The consensus among the staff that worked the event was that this ranked at or near the top of any of the Unplugged events they’d been part of so far. And while I only ran into a couple of guests that had been to any previous edition, it was all the attendees that made it so much fun. They all participated in singing, dancing, eating, and drinking with gusto all night long.
And here’s two setup pictures that show you how the fourteen tables of eight settings each were arranged. In both cases click on the images for a full size version. Here’s one before people arrived.
Here’s one with people later in the evening.
And here’s a picture I managed to get of the kitchen staff (minus one who was late) before they started scrambling to get the feast out. They did a magnificent job! Again, click on the image for a larger version.
And I’m sorry but I didn’t record any video this year but here are the pictures. Just click on any picture you’d like to start with and then use the arrows at the lower left to navigate through the rest or choose the SlideShow option at the lower right to watch them in cruise control.
