Bands, brats and beer

The Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce will present an authentic Bavarian festival Saturday, September 19 as Oktoberfest returns to Circus World.
A pair of polka bands will entertain, as will the local beer choir. Chamber grill masters will prepare bratwurst as local breweries serve their Oktoberfest flavors. Food trucks will offer sausages and schnitzel as Chamber volunteers sell pretzels.
Fest Masters Tom and Lisa Stout will kick off the fun by tapping the golden keg at 3:30 p.m. That’ll be the cue for the BaraBrew WisconSing Beer Choir to start singing. They’re the opening act for Griffy Jim and the Polka Dots, a local polka band that will take center stage at the hippodrome from 4-6 p.m. A costume contest and other games will take place from 6-7 p.m. as the headline act – the Mike Schneider Band – prepares to perform from 7-9.
“We’re doubling down on our Bavarian theme this year,” said George Althoff, Executive Director of the Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce. “That’s why we’re bringing in two polka bands.”

The Mike Schneider Band has been nominated for 24 polka wards, winning Band of the Year from the Wisconsin Polka Hall of Fame in 2009. Mike was inducted to that Hall of Fame in 1997 at age 18!
“The sound of live polka music and the smell of brats make for great marketing,” Althoff said.
Oktoberfest beers from local craft breweries – Tumbled Rock Brewery, Al. Ringling Brewing and Pals Brewing – will be available for purchase. Baraboo Bluff and Balanced Rock wineries will serve their flavors.
The 5th annual Baraboo Oktoberfest is presented by Fairfield Inn & Suites.
Admission buttons cost $10 in advance at the Chamber’s Visitor Center in 600 W. Chestnut St. in West Baraboo. They’ll cost $12 on Sept. 19.
For more information, visit oktoberfestbaraboo.com.
To volunteer at Oktoberfest, click here.