I always thought Octoberfest was a celebration of harvest time. OOM-PAH-PA, EIN PROSIT—The harvest is in, the work is done, and it’s time to celebrate, eat, drink, and be merry. A recent Google search says I’m wrong.

“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.”

I’m old enough to remember the beginnings of the K-W Octoberfest in 1969 when 3/4 million people would celebrate the two-week festivity in Waterloo County (it was before the days of Waterloo Region). I had a friend (name withheld to protect the innocent) whose family belonged to the German Canadian club and I was often invited to join them for their Octoberfest outings. The food was fabulous, from schnitzel to cabbage rolls and sausages. The beer wasn’t too bad either. 

His parents, knew my parents, of course,  and one day my mother informed me that she found out he would be taking dancing lessons at the Schwaben Club in Kitchener, and I was going too. Those were some awkward times; waltz, foxtrot and polka. I never got the hang of the polka, but years later I was grateful to know some basic steps of the waltz and foxtrot. 

In recent years, Cambridge has gotten into the spirit by kicking off Octoberfest with a keg tapping and free sausage on a bun. This year, October 9th was the date for the launch celebration, and I was determined to get my tax dollars back in any way I could, including free sausage. The festivities were a little more subdued this year, and the turnout was down, largely due to the weather.