This is a developing story that will be updated with new information throughout the day.
Miami University students and the Oxford community gathered together in Uptown on Saturday to celebrate the return of the city’s Oxtoberfest.
Local retailers, artisans, food trucks and stands lined High Street, coupled with activities and music in Oxford Memorial Park.
The event, which takes place from 1-8 p.m. combines traditional German beers and food with live music and has something fun for everyone to enjoy.
Check back with The Miami Student throughout the day for updates on how the day is progressing.
1 p.m.
Horns blared from the stage of Uptown Park as children kicked around a soccer ball and beer lines stretched their way across High Street. The horns, blown by a Cincinnati German Hunting Horn Band, called attention to a brown-clad man as he took hold of a microphone and a mallet.
Oxford Mayor William Snavely — “Bürgermeister” for the day — kicked off Oxford’s second annual Oxtoberfest by tapping the festival keg at 1 p.m. and saying a few words to the crowd.
“The weather is nicer in Oxford today than it is in Munich,” he joked.
Cheerful attitudes persisted beneath the gray sky as festival-goers sought beer and sausage.
The latter brought senior environmental earth science majors Jacob Matson and Adam Smith out to the festival.
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“I'm here for the food, I love German food,” Matson said. “I go to Oktoberfest Cincinnati all the time when they have it, so I really enjoy these events.”
As first-timers, both were impressed with the setup.
“Love the band so far, the atmosphere is nice,” Smith said.
Reporting by Photography Editor Jake Ruffer.
5 p.m.
Even though Oxtoberfest was halfway done, the festivities remained in full gear through the evening. With the weather at 56 degrees with some slight rain, conditions were not the best. However, the gloomy atmosphere did not stop Trevor Law, a senior mechanical engineering student, from going Uptown and having a good time.
“I think [the weather] adds to it,” Law said. “Like [when it’s] cold you have to dress up warmer, and it just feels more German. Like when you picture Germany, it’s kind of cold and dreary, and this matches perfectly.”
Kate Jenkins, a first-year business student at Indiana University, was also Uptown for Oxtoberfest with her best friend Caroline Bonidy, a first-year business student at Miami University. Jenkins thought Oxford was very homey even though the weather was not cooperating.
“It's really fun, and it seems like everyone's making the best of the weather, and it’s very fall,” Jenkins said.
Braelyn Binkowski, a senior microbiology and professional writing double major, came out today despite the weather because she said last year was a lot of fun.
“Last year we had so much fun that this year we decided to come back, have a couple of beers, hang out,” Binkowski said. “Enjoy the kind of dreary fall weather today but last year was a lot nicer but still a really fun time to come out here.”
Reporting by Asst. Campus & Community Editor Taylor Stumbaugh
7 p.m.
By night, Oxtoberfest was considerably empty compared to earlier in the day. There were less than a third of the attendees at 7 p.m. compared to 5 p.m.
Karen Powell, an Oxford resident, said she had been there for a little more than 30 minutes, and even though it was cold and rainy, she had been having fun.
“The German food [has been my favorite part],” Powell said.
Powell wasn’t the only one checking out the food. Seth Peppo, a senior computer science major, and Madison Berkshire, an Oxford resident, attended the festival when it first opened as well as when it was closing and shopped around at the different vendors.
“I like the music,” Berkshire said.
“Yeah, I like the music too, I think the music kind of brought everything together,” Peppo agreed.
By 7:30 p.m., most of the vendors had packed up or were in the middle of packing while the attendee numbers continued to dwindle.
Barabara Huot, owner of Barbara’s Atlas Oils, had been selling her natural soaps, lotions and sprays all day and concluded the day a success.
Huot’s boyfriend Jarrod Wood was there helping her pack up, and he commented about their booth placement in comparison to the food truck location. He felt if the food trucks were more spread out, those booths could have received more business.
“It was a great event, it really was,” Wood said. “Just the weather kind of hampered things, that's all.”
Reporting by Asst. Campus & Community Editor Taylor Stumbaugh
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