39th Annual Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest begins Oct. 5

It's that time of year again. Oktoberfest is back and the people of Kitchener-Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, are ready to celebrate. There will be lots of beer, knackwurst, and sauerkraut for everyone.

The cities of Kitchener and Waterloo have a long German tradition, There are many people of German descent who call the area home. Kitchener used to be called Berlin until World War II. The Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest is known as Canada's Great Bavarian Festival. Oktoberfest is held for nine days every year, and it begins on the Friday before Canadian Thanksgiving and ends the Sunday after. This celebration is the largest Oktoberfest celebration outside of Bavaria. It brings some 700,000 people to downtown Waterloo and Kitchener every year. The Miss Oktoberfest pageant was held on Sept. 28. Miss Oktoberfest of 2007 is 23-year-old Nicole Stuber of Kitchener. She is currently studying Communications and History at York University in Toronto. This year the "tapping of the keg" will take place at Kitchener Civic Square on October 5th at 11:30am. This kicks off the celebration in grand style; there will also be music, dancing, and lots of beer. The mascot for the Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest is Onkel Hans. He is a rather round man in Bavarian dress. He wears a moustache, lederhosen and a red, felt hat with a tassel. At the centre of Oktoberfest is Hans Haus, where you can buy tickets for the many events and souvenirs. This year there will be 40 family and cultural events, plus 17 Festhallen. Festhallen serve beer and traditional German fare. Among the many events are a free pancake breakfast in uptown Waterloo on Saturday morning and a barrel race through downtown Waterloo which runs from 10am until noon. The highlight for many is the Oktoberfest parade that takes place on Thanksgiving Monday. It features many floats, bands, and dancers. Since it is the only Thanksgiving parade held in Canada it is televised nationally on CTV. There is a food drive attached to the parade and everyone is encouraged to bring a donation. Try and take part in some of the celebrations and Gemuetlichkeit!