ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — Elkhart Lake will put its own twist on Oktoberfest with the first-ever Elktoberfest, debuting Friday, Sept. 23 and running through Sunday, Sept. 25.
According to our partners at the Sheboygan Sun, the village's Elktoberfest will kick off Friday night with a Stein Social and Community Prost downtown on Lake Street from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Those who attend can buy a commemorative Elktoberfest stein and get one free tap of SwitchGear Brewing's Oktoberfest beer. There will also be live music from The Polka Masters.
There will be outdoor bars at The Ostoff Resort, The Shore Club, and Siekens. As for music, Matt & Sadie will perform at The Shore Club from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., The Cougars will play at The Ostoff's Lake Deck from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Jim Ohlschmidt at The Ostoff's Elk Room 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday will begin with a 5K Wine & Beer Run/Walk at 9 a.m. There will also be Elktoberfest games from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., including keg rolling, the stein dash, and the frau carry.
SwitchGear Brewing will host its Oktoberfest party from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., which will include a brat fry fundraiser for the Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah Athletic Foundation from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Waltzmeisters will perform live music from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
A Root Beer Garten will be set up at The Osthoff's lakefront from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. with complimentary root beer. You can also purchase brats, burgers, slushies and cookies at the Garten. There will be activities for kids from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., including a petting zoo on Osthoff's north lawn.
Festival-goers can expect a visit from some Wisconsin icons... the Milwaukee Brewers Famous Racing Sausages. You can find them at Osthoff's Lakefront from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Saturday night will again have live music by The Polka Masters at The Shore Club from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Nashville Pipeline at The Ostoff's Lake Deck from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Elktoberfest will wrap up with a Fall Community Breakfast at Otto's Restaurant in the Osthoff on Sunday morning. There will be live music by The MD Project from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at The Lake Deck.
For further information on Elktoberfest, visit Elkhart Lake's website.
