Volga German Society Oktoberfest 2014 will be held at Frontier Park on Oct. 10 at 9 a.m.<\/p>\n
The opening ceremonies and tapping of the first keg will start at 11:30 a.m.<\/p>\n
According to Janel Moore, representative of the Volga German Society, a new tradition will be introduced this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen…it is announced that it (the keg) is opened, we will ring the big bell,\u201d Moore said. \u201cAnd then the other bells will follow suit.\u201d<\/p>\n
In previous years, it was difficult for Oktoberfest participants to hear the tapping of the keg, so a bell will ring to signal when the keg is tapped.<\/p>\n
The keg tapping will not be the only time bells will be used.<\/p>\n
Each booth at Oktoberfest will receive a hand bell to ring at the opening and closing of Oktoberfest, and the Ellis County Historical Society will sell bells to participants.<\/p>\n
Many of the events participants can expect to enjoy are musical performances.<\/p>\n
The Official Polka Band of Oktoberfest, Joe Dolezal and Galen Schmidtberger will entertain the crowd at 10:30 a.m. There will also be side acts and impersonators in between performances on stage.<\/p>\n
Frankie Werth, award winning tribute artist, will perform from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. He is a 2014 Ultimate Contestant of the top 21 Elvis Tribute Artists in the World, representing Las Vegas, Nev.<\/p>\n
“He puts on a good show,\u201d Moore said.<\/p>\n
Another band that will be present is Paramount, who will perform from 5 to 6:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
Vendors with food, drinks, and novelties are able to start selling items at 9 a.m.<\/p>\n
The Ellis County Historical Society will present demonstrators at Oktoberfest such as Gary Bott, who will play the accordion and talk about German songs and polkas that originated from Russia.<\/p>\n
Other demonstrations will be soap making, saddle making and goat milking.<\/p>\n
Along with the demonstrations, The American Historical Society of Germans from Russia will show movies about German culture throughout Oktoberfest.<\/p>\n
On the south side of Oktoberfest, miniature horse rides, a petting zoo and draft horse wagon rides will be available.<\/p>\n
The Fort Hays State University athletes will also conduct activities for participants.<\/p>\n
The Volga German Society is expecting about 56 to 66 booths at Oktoberfest this year, according to Moore.<\/p>\n