New Glarus Oktoberfest will be held on September 23-25. A weekend full of music as well as many activities and events in downtown New Glarus is planned.

In the festival tent there will be live music from Friday evening at through Sunday at 6:00 p.m.

On Saturday, September 24, the Glenda K. Scott 5K/10K Run and 2-Mile Walk will be held, beginning at the Valle Tell Soccer Park and heading out of town on Valley View Rd. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m., with the Run beginning at 9:00 a.m. sharp.

There will also be the Swiss UCC Annual Kilby Supper (see story on page 11).

For a full schedule of events, great food, wagon rides, chainsaw carving, plus plenty of family fun, see the advertisement on page 13.

Oktoberfest organizers have answered the age old question, ‘Why is Oktoberfest held in September?” The first Oktoberfest was held in the year 1810, in honor of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen.

The festivities began on October 12, 1810, and ended on October 17, with a horse race. In the following years the celebrations were repeated and, later, the festival was prolonged and moved to September. By moving the festivities up, it allowed for better weather conditions. Because the September nights were warmer, the visitors were able to enjoy the gardens outside the tents and the stroll over “die Wiesen” or the fields much longer without feeling chilly.