Column: Oktoberfest ist wunderbar

Fall has arrived, which means apples, apple cider and apple cider donuts at Bauman Orchards in Rittman, with their fall festival happening the next two Saturdays.

Fall is also all about clam bakes here in Northeast Ohio. You don’t have to wait for the invites to roll in, though, as the Corkscrew Saloon has steamed clams on the menu for the entire month. Stop in for a few clams to satisfy your clambake cravings. Chef Ryan Marino has been doing these for a long time, and nobody does them better, except for maybe his father.

Fall is pumpkin soups, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin spiced drinks, visits to pumpkin patches, hayrides and, most urgently this weekend, the Chili Cookoff at the Medina Square Farmers Market’s fall festival.

I got convinced to compete this year, along with nine other great contestants, and will be bringing my “classic Ohio chili” for you to sample. I will even have the recipe for you to take home. A donation to Cups Cafe allows you to sample and vote for one of the 10 entries for the People’s Choice award. There are some big names in the list of contestants, and I am just happy to be there with them talking chili and raising funds for a great charity, Cups Cafe. Come hungry. The tasting is from noon to 1 p.m. on the concrete pad at Historic Medina Square.

Following this, you will probably need to quench your thirst and wash down some of those spices. I have just the thing for you. Only a block off the Square across from the parking garage is Medina’s own annual Oktoberfest at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, which will be starting up at 1 p.m. Just follow the sounds of the Oom-Pah band. I believe it is the closest you will get to the real thing in our wonderful town.

Just off the Historic Medina Square, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, at 317 E. Liberty St., has been holding this annual Oktoberfest event for many years, and it has become very popular. It has everything you need to immerse yourself in Germany’s best-known tradition. German bands play the whole time, with costume and Masskrugstemmen contests, and even a kids’ corner. A huge biergarten tent will serve up Bavarian pretzels, brats, sauerkraut, bier cheese and other German foods provided by Hofbräuhaus Cleveland. Hofbräuhaus knows a thing or two about Oktoberfest. And there will be all the German beer you would expect: Oktoberfest, Dunkel and Hefeweizen.

What is a Masskrugstemmen contest, you ask? “Masskrugstemmen” is a Bavarian sport of lifting a liter mug of beer. The “Masskrug,” a 1-liter stein, is to be held with one arm completely stretched out and parallel to the floor with the goal of holding the stein up longer than your competition. The full 1-liter “Mass” weighs about 5 pounds.

So men, put on your lederhosen, suspenders and German hats, and ladies, break out your trachten blouses and dirndls. It’s time to party like a German.

Buy your presale tickets at www.stpauls-medina.org or call the church office at 330-725-4131. Presale prices are $6 for ages 21 and older, $5 for ages 11-20, and children 10 and under are free. Tickets are $10 the day of the event. This event will happen rain or shine, just like the real thing.

I hope to see you there for some chili and then for some good German fun.

As always, I urge you to eat fresh, dine local and be happy.