Fort Hays State University - Reveille Yearbook (Hays, KS)

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(RIGHT) A TIME TO SOCIALIZE -Jed Creese, Scott City High School graduate, Jack Creese, Scott City senior, and Tom Nelson, Hays sophomore, take the time to visit at the KJLS radio booth. (Photo by Robert Bunting) A GERMAN GERMAN -Markus Wild, Stuttgart, West Germany Ireshman, enjoys the German atmosphere at Oktoberlest. For one student, Okto- berfest in Hays had a special meaning. Markus Wild, freshman from Stuttgart, West Germany, didn ' t really expect to attend an Oktoberfest during his first stay in the United States. “I personally enjoyed Okto- berfest more because it was much smaller, and I met a lot of friends. It was more personal, Oktoberfest in Germany is too commercialized . I was really astonished when I first heard about it, but after a while I knew why they had an Oktoberfest here. Here nearly everybody has a German background. Personally, I found it kind of interesting, how much they appreciate their German heritage here, when they hardly know Germany of today. Since these people have left Germany, it has gone through a lot of changes. The costumes, for example, you can only find in remote parts of Bavaria. Overall, I really enjoyed Oktoberfest. I worked at the International Student Union booth and had a lot of fun selling eggrolls. I met many people. Oktoberfest —

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Oktoberfest led to a current change in nationality. For one day, everybody was German. The weather showed insight and spared the test from rain. A large crowd was therefore attracted, too large maybe for those who showed up late to find out that all bierocks were sold out. B ierrocks. Beer. Bratwurst. it was all there. At sight of the Polka band, the German costumes, and the German inscrintions on the booths, those who didn’t have any German heritage to show off just adopted it for one day, And it was a funfilled day, for both participants and visitors. We had a very good turnout. Compared to the last couple of years, the crowd was quite comparable. They showed up late, but they stayed longer. First we had cooler weather, but then it warmed up. The crowd was very well-behaved, Herb Songer, university coordinator for Oktoberiest, said. Over the past years, Oktoberfest has been constantly improving. “A lot more student groups are involved. I think it has really changed. For one thing, the physical structure of the booths has really improved. The student groups have done a good job in getting more permanent and nice- looking booths, Songer said. The students, who got off for Oktoberfest, were impressed with the turnout, too, I was impressed by the turnout. It was neat so many people went and the different groups provided a wide variety. It was nice that we got school off. The food seemed to be a real money maker, Chris Magana, Garden Qty junior, said. I could only be there for a while, but I enjoyed the food and the crafts, Dave Wilcots, Philadelphia graduate student, said. Besides being a fun day, Oktoberfest also provides an entertaining lesson on the Volga German heritage. It was fantastic, I didn ' t understand much about the Volga German customs before, and it helped me to that, Steve Hall, Concordia senior, said, “We had a good ' turnout. The fest has improved a lot. In the past there has been put too much emphasis on the ’beerthing ' instead of the ethnic festivity, Francis Schippers, Volga-German Society president, said. To see that many people in a small area without trouble is unusual. It was also good to have TOP SELLER -Beer Is not tho most important aspect of Oktoberfest, but certainly a part of it. The lines at the beer booths did not clear until late afternoon. (Photo by Robert Bunting) GERMAN SPIRIT -Paul Deines, WaKeeney, shows true Oktoberfest spirit in his Bavarian outfit. Deines enjoyed dancing to the Polka music. (Photo by Robert Bunting) an alternative for people who chose not to drink. The sale of non- alcoholic beer was a good money raiser, but even if it hadn ' t been, it would still have been a worthwhile cause, Hall said. by Bettina Heinz Oktoberfest

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SUNNY SMILE -Queen Amy Rodriguez, Elkhart Junior, brings a little sunshine into a rained out day as she is being crowned by Gerald Tomanek, university president. (Photo by Don King) UNDER WATER -Homecoming finalist Gwen Poore, lenora senior, keeps a cheerful smile while crossing the moat on Lewis filed. (Photo by Don King} Homecoming