The German Oktoberfest Comes to South

Photo used with permission from Jonas Strecker

The line up. Children and students enjoyed German delicacies at South Forsyth’s Oktoberfest celebration. The community wide event was an important and lucrative fundraiser for the German program and provided tasty German foods to the young children that attended.

Kelsey Watson, Staff Writer
October 21, 2019

Willkommen auf Oktoberfest! South Forsyth High School’s German Club hosted their annual Oktoberfest on October 18th in the plaza after school where they sold traditional German foods paired with other German cultural activities.

The growing SFHS German program hosted Oktoberfest, a traditional German holiday that takes place in the city of Munich and in late September, running until early October. It was originally a celebration of the marriage between Bavaria’s Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. Today, it has transformed into a national celebration that is famous for its beer drinking and traditional clothing. 

Photo used with permission from Jonas Strecker. Fire up the grill. German I Teacher, Frau Legall, cooks up her classic bratwursts in the plaza. Frau Legall has grilled for the German club at every Oktoberfest and her sausages are always a hit with the customers.

The German Club’s Oktoberfest had plenty of German delicacies and traditional foods. The customers chose between pretzels, apfelsaft, a German drink, and South’s very own Frau Legall’s famous grilled bratwursts. They purchased German desserts, such as apfel streusel, which were a big hit with the customers. 

The students in the German club always look forward to Oktoberfest because it brings back old students while also allowing the new German students to meet and interact with the rest of the German club. The officers of the German club encourage the new students to help run the booths and interact with the rest of the German students; this helps them to find their footing in the program. Other high school and middle school students attended the event and use the experience to help them decide if German is the right language for them.

“We’re not only providing an opportunity for people to get together and eat food, but we’re also putting our name out there by holding events for the community, where we can show everyone the positives of German at South,” said German club president Maggie Lonsway.

Photo used with permission from Jonas Strecker. Fun with the family. Sisters Haven Somerson and Jocelyn Somerson get festive during Oktoberfest. As an AP German student, sophomore Jocelyn Somerson helped to hand out food with a smile while enjoying time with her sibling.

Oktoberfest is a crucial fundraiser for the growing German program and a community-wide celebration of German culture.

“I think the Oktoberfest is important for the German program because it’s our chance to get in touch with the community,” Lonsway explained.

The South German program provided an amazing opportunity to help the community learn something new while also enjoying themselves. Students, faculty, and other members of the South community all joined to eat traditional German foods, listen to German music, and discover how the German language can impact their years at high school.