Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest 2025

Time to look back at all of the Oktoberfests we attended this year! I had a great time wearing my favorite Rare Dirndls various places and celebrating my heritage!

First Chickadee and I went to Grant’s Farm in mid-September. This was a first (or at least the first time in a long time) for us. We were there pretty early, so we didn’t get to see the entertainment, but we did share a pretzel and it was top-tier…super buttery and one of the best we had!

Next was Belleville Oktoberfest, which is always something of a disappointment to me…the pretzels weren’t even very good! But it was an excuse to wear a dirndl and walk down Main Street.

Third was my favorite local Oktoberfest in St. Charles, MO. The music and dancing were amazing and the pretzels were delicious! Plus, it seems like the most authentic one in our area (says the woman who has never been to Munich…).

We always celebrate Oktoberfest at home. I made our standard German feast of schnitzel and spaetzle and red cabbage, with Black Forest cherry torte for dessert (not to mention fondue with pretzels, pickles, and brats for lunch), and not to brag, but the pretzels at our establishment are pretty good, too!

For the second year, we went to Soulard’s Oktoberfest, and I have to say, I really love this (relatively) small event! The pretzels were only so-so, but the cheese sauce was excellent, and the brass band was one of our favorites!

I was worried we weren’t going to make it to Zootoberfest at the St. Louis Zoo, but we managed to get there on the final day. As always, the pretzels are the best in the region (and the beer cheese they serve with them is outstanding), and I got to hear a polka band, complete with accordion!

This was a really fun season of festing…I’ll leave you with Brasshaufen Brass Band (a group we enjoyed both in St. Charles and Soulard) doing one of my favorite Oktoberfest numbers. Prost!

Sartorial Saturday–A New Lace Apron for Oktoberfest

Today I’m taking a look at a beautiful floral lace apron from Rare Dirndl I got just in time for Oktoberfest!

I’ve had my eye on this made-to-order style for a while, and I decided to cash in my “Prost Points” (the Rare Dirndl rewards program) to have this apron made before I went to my favorite Oktoberfest in St. Charles, MO.

Here’s a look at the accessories I wore with it:

I love how sheer lace is, which allows the lovely color of the skirt of the Harlequin dirndl to shine through!

This is such a good staple piece…I’m really looking forward to pairing it with more of my dirndls!

2025-26 School Year–Week Seven

Fun things first…we went to Oktoberfest in St. Charles, MO!

And then our regular work. In algebra Chickadee worked with the slope-intercept and point-slope formulas. She learned about the Suez Canal in history. We continued to read The Wind in the Willows. In science, she learned about the various models of the atom, and protons, neutrons, and electrons. She wrote about a fictional story in writing. In religion, we discussed the Lutheran views on heaven and hell. Our recipe for the week from the American Girl Sweet and Savory Treats Cookbook was a vegan recipe for Mocha Chocolate Brownies inspired by 2019 girl-of-the-year Blaire.

Next week, we’re hoping to part in our area’s “library crawl!”

Oktoberfest 2024

It’s time for a look back at all of the Oktoberfest fun we’ve enjoyed over the last month or so!

We started close to home toward the end of September, with Belleville Oktoberfest, which begins even before the big celebration in Munich. It’s not my favorite Oktoberfest, but it’s easy to attend, and I love any reason to wear a dirndl!

Next up was my favorite area Oktoberfest, in St. Charles, MO. This year’s event was interesting because it was super muddy, but still a lot of fun, with music, dancing, food, and shopping.

We went back to Zootoberfest at the St. Louis Zoo…they still have the best pretzels!

New to us this year was Soulard’s Oktoberfest in St. Louis. There was more good music with the added bonus of a stroll through the Soulard Market.

And finally, our family Oktoberfest, once all of the other area celebrations had wrapped up. We started with an Oktoberfest Eve meal of brats and sauerkraut, plus German tater tots inspired by the ones we tried in Soulard, and apple strudel made by Ladybug for dessert.

Of course I had to put together one more look featuring Rare Dirndl, and it was also a bit of a Disney Bound, as a nod to the Disney Princess with my favorite fashion sense, Rapunzel!

We made pretzels, and instead of fondue, I made Obatzda, a German cheese spread that’s great on the pretzels.

For dinner we had all of my German favorites…Schweineschnitzel, spaetzle, and rotkohl….all homemade, too!

Every good holiday deserves a special drink…I made an apple pie mocktail with apple cider, caramel syrup, cinnamon, and ginger beer. It tasted like fall in a glass, and I even learned how to make an apple fan for a garnish!

And for dessert, one of our family’s all-time favorites–Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte!

I’m kind of sad that Oktoberfest season is over already…it’s become something I really look forward to every year!

2024-25 School Year–Week Seven

First a fun outing…we got to attend our favorite Oktoberfest and connect with our German heritage!

Ladybug identified assumptions in her logic course, as well circular reasoning, which she was very good at it…I’m not sure if that should concern me! She finished the fourth act of The Merchant of Venice. She also finished reading 1491, which ended with a look at the ecological impacts of colonization, and began the March trilogy by John Lewis. In psychology she read about the physical structure of the eye and how sight works. She read Fahrenheit 451, a book she really enjoyed. In religion, we discussed how the creeds were written, and also spent some time on the Arian Heresy. She began a course on photography, and I handed over my old Canon Rebel for her to experiment with.

Chickadee worked with metric conversions and reviewed fractions in pre-algebra. She had her third science test, and demonstrated her knowledge of creating and performing experiments. She then started the next chapter, and learned the difference between science, applied science, and technology. In history she learned about Japan isolating itself from Europe, the rise of the Manchu empire in China, and the building of the Taj Mahal in India. She continued to read Tom Sawyer, and the farther she gets into the book, the less she likes Tom! She created a three-level outline in writing, and also wrote a short essay about the Wright Brothers.

We made quite a few recipes from The Wizard of Oz: The Official Cookbook this week. We started with a “Follow the Spiral Omelet,” featuring spinach and a hint of curry powder, with “Cornstalk Cheese Straws” on the side…the perfect meal for “Breakfast-for-Dinner Week!” We also had “Glinda Strawberry Jasmine Bubble Tea,” which I made with popping boba I found at Target. For dessert tonight, Ladybug made “What a World Spheres” which were served on ice cream with a homemade chocolate sauce that Chickadee helped me prepare.

We’re hoping to go Laumeier Sculpture Park and/or the Missouri Botanical Garden soon so that Ladybug can practice some photography, and it looks like the weather is going to be very amenable to it!