Oktoberfest in Lovettsville has been a traditional time to celebrate German harvest, culture, and community. Since it was started in 1976, and then officially founded in 1983, Oktoberfest has kept the town bustling with volunteer endeavors.
With roots stretching back to Erntedankfest, or Harvest Thanks, a German harvest festival traditionally viewed by Lovettsville’s Lutheran church, New Jerusalem, Oktoberfest has been celebrated in Germany for 215 years. Erntedankfest coincidentally fell at the same time as the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildenburghausen on October 12, 1810, starting the longheld tradition of Oktoberfest.
In Lovettsville, the Bicentennial was the first unofficial celebration of the Oktoberfest. Lovettsville’s Mayor, Christopher Hornbaker, commented, “[Oktoberfest] started out as a way to uniquely celebrate the bicentennial of America’s birth, and it has now changed into a weekend long event that highlights and welcomes folks into the town of Lovettsville and experience our German settlement and heritage.” After the Bicentennial in 1976, a new celebration came seven years later. 1983 saw the first official Oktoberfest, whilst also celebrating the Tricentennial of the first organized German migration to America.
This first Oktoberfest, although it was not yet called Oktoberfest, was littered with many volunteer activities and opportunities. Between German band concerts, polka contests, local crafts and art stands, and a Sunday evening hymn sing, the weekend was jam packed with activities. Mrs. Grace Hummer, a town council member in ‘83, reminisced on the 1983 Oktoberfest and Dale Wise’s accordion, “I was just kind of worn out. I needed some quiet time. I had ridden around on the bus everywhere. I went to St. James Church and Dale Wise was out in the street playing his accordion, and I just went in and sat down and was looking at the beautiful windows. The sun was shining through the beautiful stained glass windows, and I felt very restful.” Hummer remembers, “He came in, he came in with his accordion, and he played Amazing Grace. It was beautiful. I do get a little emotional about it.” Hummer was one of the lead organizers of the festival in 1983 and is 97 years old as of this year. A keystone member of the community, she has witnessed Oktoberfest culture throughout all her years in Lovettsville. “I found it exciting and extreme what the people here could put on. We had a lot of talented people here, in art, in music, food and conversation, writing, literature and everything else… So we had to use what we had in the town. Exploit our talents,” Hummer commented.
The early Oktoberfest celebrations looked a lot different than the festival that is known today. Although both are a three day event, the early fests had a small town, community oriented feel. 2010 Oktoberfest committee member Cheryl Miller described how the Oktoberfest looked in the early days saying, “The king and queen were chosen, the Lions Club had an Oktoberfest dinner, and then they had some music and band on Friday. Saturday was the big day with the vendors and everything, and then Sunday was the day that the Lovettsville Elementary School Music teacher would have his students play and perform for the town.” These early festivals were also very family oriented. Not only did they have the Oktoberfest for adults, but a Kinderfest for the children. “Kinderfest had face painting, the boy scouts would come and put up their rope ladder, they had pets, pony rides, eventually we even had a bounce house,” Miller recalled.
Once the Oktoberfest started allowing alcoholic beverages, the fest went from a family centered event to an adult centered event. “One of the new committee chairpersons decided that we should have beer, and that’s when it really exploded and took off,” Miller continued. However, not everyone was a fan of this change. “Some of us were against bringing beer in because when we started, it was supposed to be a family type event, and we were afraid that with beer it was going to become more problematic,” Miller said.
The introduction of these beverages also kick started other signature traditions known today. “Over the last 13 years a lot of the community competitions [the stein-holds, the keg-holding, and the weiner dog races] have all been a very big draw to the town. This year we had 80 different contestants participate in those events,” Hornbaker expressed. These were key details to how the Oktoberfest has evolved. “[It used to be] a couple of tents near what is now Brainiacs and Andy’s parking lot and down Pennsylvania Avenue. Now, obviously, it’s grown to a town wide event,” Hornbaker continued.
The Oktoberfest is not only a fun filled yearly festival, but a reminder of how far the town has come. It celebrates the German settlement, humble beginnings, and small town charm that Lovettsville holds. It’s a symbol that proves what the town can accomplish when it combines its roots, tradition, and modern day culture, as it is not just a fest, but a celebration of heritage.