Jackson concludes first two-day Oktoberfest

Patriotic music, laughter and the aroma of German-inspired cuisine filled Jackson�s town square Saturday during the annual Uptown Jackson Oktoberfest.

This year marked the first time the city has hosted a two-day Oktoberfest celebration.

On Monday, event chairman Tyler Wolfsberger said by phone while attendance is tough to track because no admission fee is charged, a reasonable estimate of the crowd is in line with previous years � about 14,000 to 16,000, with approximately 2,000 of those attending Friday night.

�I think it went well,� Wolfsberger said of the event overall. �Friday night, we didn�t know what to expect. There�s definitely a learning curve there, but overall, it was very positive.�

Wolfsberger thanked all sponsors and volunteers: �We couldn�t have done it without those folks.�

Uptown Jackson Revitalization was the beer vendor for the event, which serves as a fundraiser for the organization.

Wolfsberger said Friday�s pre-party hosted by St. Louis-based Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. welcomed �a nice, steady crowd.�

�There was a football game last night, so we had quite a few people that went to the game,� he said, �and at the end of the second half, they were coming up here and having a beer and a burger.�

Christi Slinkard was assisting customers at the Curly�s Kitchen food truck Saturday. Slinkard said some of the specialties Curly�s offers are jalape�o brat burgers, barbecue nachos and barbecue sandwiches.

Curly�s has been part of Oktoberfest for at least three years, Slinkard said.

�Anything we can do to help the community,� she said.

Aaron and Kaitie Goodson were enjoying the live music, beer and burgers from The German Cook food tent, before Kaitie Goodson�s work shift began at Barrel 131, just down the street from the festivities.

Saturday was Aaron�s first visit to the event, but Kaitie Goodson said it was her third year.

�I like Oktoberfest, and we really like The German Cook�s food,� she said, holding her pork burger. �He gets spices from Germany, and he makes it all here.�

Even though Kaitie Goodson was working during the bands� scheduled performances Saturday afternoon and evening, she planned on �sticking her head out� during Bittersweet Fusion�s performance. The stage is set up next to Barrel 131 on South High Street in Jackson.

St. Louis natives Ginger Harris and Pat Kole also were in attendance Saturday enjoying �beer rocks� � a tortilla containing sausage, hamburger meat, onions and cabbage �with secret seasoning� � just one of the specialties served by a Boy Scouts food stand.

�It�s got a little bit of a jalape�o kick to it,� Kole said.

Harris, who now lives in Jackson, said she bought property in the area 20 years ago, but had to wait until she retired to move down and enjoy it.

She used to live near South County, in St. Louis. Harris said she attended Saturday because she likes the hometown feel of Uptown Jackson Oktoberfest.

�There�s more pride down here,� she said. �There�s a small-town pride about it, which makes me enjoy it even more.�

Harris and Kole both planned on grabbing additional food before taking a short break and returning later in the afternoon for more live music.

Mary Jane Burgers & Brew pretzels were on their must-eat list for Saturday, �with the pimento cheese,� Harris said, and bloody marys.

�And I heard Mary Jane has them with a stick of bacon in it, too, so it�s kind of like a meal,� she said.

Other activities Saturday included Sam Adams Stein Hoisting at the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse gazebo and children�s activities such as pumpkin decorating and inflatables.

Reporter Marybeth Niederkorn contributed to this article.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

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