Oktoberfest Meets Morgantown

Morgantown, W.Va., September 27, 2007:  Oktoberfest comes to town on Sunday, Oct. 7 at Krepps Park from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. for the third annual celebration of German culture.  Various events will take place throughout the day for both children and adults, and the West Virginia Friends of German invite University and community members to participate.

Preceding the event will be a fussball/soccer tournament from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. played by high school and college students, as well as faculty.  Enjoy Austrian strudel, German potato salad, Swiss cheese, bratwurst and much more at the Oktoberfest buffet from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.  Additionally, the Kasperle Theater will present a puppet show from 1:40 p.m. to 2 p.m. and a Rummel amusement park will be available for children from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.  

In addition to great German music and food, there will be lottery prizes.  The proceeds support monthly German lessons for children and WVU students participating in study abroad programs to German-speaking countries.

"The Oktoberfest is a wonderful way to bring together the many different people in our community who are of German heritage or who have some sort of connection to German-speaking cultures," said Deborah Janson, associate professor of German at WVU.

The festival is open to people of all ages interested in the German language and culture.  Admission is free; however, there will be a nominal charge for food of $3.00 for adults, $1.00 for students, and children under 6 are free.

Donations are appreciated and will go towards awards, the Kinderstunde program, and student participation in the WVU study abroad programs.  The event is sponsored by WVU and Bethany College German faculty and staff, WV-AATG, WVU, Morgantown and University High School German Clubs and community members.

The Department of Foreign Languages at WVU is a part of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.

For more information, please contact Deborah Janson at (304) 293-5121 or djanson@wvu.edu.

W-V-U