You know that we here at seveneightfive magazine like to keep you informed about many things. One topic that seems to be of great interest the majority of the time is good food and beer. It is almost the hour for those two things to make a grand intersection with an added bonus: LIVE POLKA MUSIC!

Yes, my friends, you may have already guessed it but Germanfest is almost upon us. This annual event benefiting Sacred Heart and Saint Joseph Parishes is chocked full of good German fun. Music? Check. Beer garden? Check. Homemade krautstrudels? Check. Grebble? Double Check. Oh, you don’t know what grebble is? Let’s just say it is like a little piece of fried heaven…and like heaven, I’ll leave it a mystery until you experience it.

Germanfest started small as an ice cream social 40 years ago and slowly evolved to this wonderful extravaganza and smorgasbord.

“Some things change or are added each year, but the constant is the food,” says Norma Rogers, an organizer for the event. “We use the same original recipes every year.  Most of them are from Maureen Steinbock’s mother, and some from others.”

She went on to tell me that they usually make about 5,000 krautstrudels. Over 3,000 plates of food were sold last summer. These Germans aren’t kidding. Serious gnash. Serious.

They will have bingo, too. And games and a mini train and fine crafts available. And did I say there was going to be sauerbraten, pork & sauerkraut, German potato salad and noodles & sage balls? There will also be children and adult drawings for a buck each and not to mention, for $10 a chance, you have the possibility to win a V-8 automatic 2-door 1956 Chevrolet. It has air-conditioning, too.

So, June 5th and 6th are the days of plenty. Check out their website for more details about the live music and a timeline of events. I promise, you will be happy you are there. And look for me. I’ll be that guy with the beard in the beer garden with five empty plates in front of me and mustard on my mustache, acting like I can sing in German.

[May 2010 | Matt Porubsky | image courtesy Sacred Heart-St. Joseph Parishes]