Island Oktoberfest

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This morning, I drove over to the First Lutheran Church of Galveston to attend the 37th Annual Galveston Island Oktoberfest. Though this event is considered the premier fall festival on the island, I had never been to it and, to be honest I didn’t know much about it.

Fortunately, a few days ago, a good friend enlightened me. She told me all about the big event and added, “You must go; you’ll love it!”

This friend, a BOI (Born On Island), knows exactly what’s what in Galveston as well as anyone I know.

So, I took her advice; put on the closest thing I had to German garb, and headed out.- expecting to have a fun and festive afternoon. And, I did!

Approaching the entrance to Oktoberfest, I heard the brassy sounds of German folk music and was greeted by a cadre of festival faithfuls, all were dressed as if they had just flown in from Bavaria. The men wore brown lirederhosen, with shoulder straps, buttons embellishing the front and tan trimmings. Underneath, they all had on off-white shirts with lace up collars, matching brown and tan hats and, of course, white knee socks.

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The women strolling about wore Alpine Dirndl (blue, green or black ones mostly) with edelweiss, enzian and almrausch floral embroidery. On top, all wore neat and tidy embroidered white aprons. Many - no matter their age - wore their hair in pretty braids.

Needless to say, the authentic German music and the costumes set the stage perfectly, and I eagerly moved forward, eager to participate in these annual festivities.

Inside the gates, on the grounds of the church, a couple of hundred others had already assembled - all were either manning or patronizing dozens of booths featuring German food and beverages, as well as several play stations for kids. Like everyone else, I strolled around to see everything, stopped often to say “hi” to friends I bumped into and enjoy, like them, a sampling of the tasty bites, including Bratwurst, a personal favorite.

After an hour or so, I started looking for the arts and crafts booth. I soon discovered the artisans had set up their pop-up shops inside the Lyceum Chapel, an elegant, mid-19th century Victorian structure situated right next the church. Walking into The Lyceum, I was taken aback by the beauty of the building and by the fact that I wasn’t even aware of its existence!

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Soon, I learned from another BOI that The Lyceum underwent extensive renovation and restoration about a decade ago, with work completed in the summer of 2009, Now, The Lyceum is one of the Island’s premier venue for weddings, receptions, meetings and other special events.