How to Celebrate Oktoberfest in Amana, Iowa

Posted by Anonymous , 9/5/2007 Tags:CelebrateOktoberfestAmanaIowa
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How to Celebrate Oktoberfest in Amana, Iowa

Introduction

The Amana Colony in Iowa is a unique village that preserves century old buildings and encourages Old World craftsmanship. This commitment to the history of Amana and eastern Iowa make it a natural place to hold a celebration of Oktoberfest. Amana's celebration of this Munich-born event takes place in late September and highlights the artists, craftsmen and musicians of Amana.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Travel to Amana, Iowa for Oktoberfest

Steps

1

Step One

Locate the best travel route to Amana from your home. The best route between Chicago to the east and Omaha to the West is Interstate 80, which runs past Amana. Visitors from Minneapolis or St. Louis can use Interstate 35 as outlined on the Festivals in Amana website (see Resources below).
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Step Two

Absorb the music of Alpensterne every day of the Amana, Iowa celebration of Oktoberfest. This eastern Iowa band plays a variety of German themed celebrations throughout Iowa and draw in hundreds of avid fans with each performance.
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Step Three

Attend the Oktoberfest parade on Saturday morning of the Amana festival. Local schools, business people and traveling groups all dress in Bavarian clothing to celebrate this traditional German festival. Set up along the parade route early in the morning to get a good view of every presenter in the parade.
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Step Four

Select one of the microbrew options made available by Millstream Brewing Company. This local brewery uses traditional German brewing techniques to create products like the Schild Braun Amber and Warsh Pail Ale. Test out each product and purchase bottles as gifts for beer enthusiasts in your family.
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Step Five

Search for great art work and paintings from local artists as you celebrate Oktoberfest in Amana. Painters like Gordon Kellenberger and Michele Maring Miller have gained fame in regional artistic circles for their lively paintings of life in the Midwest. You can purchase prints or speak with artists directly to appreciate German artistic history.
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Step Six

Consume delicious currywurst or schnitzel made by the Amana Meat Shop and Smoke House. This Amana based company provides a variety of meats prepared with traditional German techniques to help you celebrate Oktoberfest as if you were in Munich.

Overall Tips & Warnings

  • Arrive in Amana, Iowa before the official beer tapping ceremony on the first day of Oktoberfest. This traditional kick off to the festival features the town's mayor and other luminaries tapping into a keg of German beer. This ceremony typically takes place mid-afternoon.

Overall Things You'll Need

  • Camera
  • Small bag for souvenirs
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