Statewide Polka Party Now Underway

Appleton-based minor league baseball team, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, rebranded as the Wisconsin Brats for their annual Bratoberfest weekend recently, which, as far as the Drink Wisconsinbly Week in Review Editorial Board is concerned, unofficially kicks off Wisconsin’s unofficial holiday season. For the next several weeks, oompah music and the smell of grilled bratwurst fill the air during Oktoberfest, and it’s Wisconsin’s most wonderful time of the year.

The Timber Rattlers, er, Brats, played in some of the most unusual uniforms you’re ever going to see on the baseball diamond. The lederhosen-inspired gear made them look more like a group of hearty Bavarian farmhands than the boys of summer. Their two-day celebration honoring German heritage also featured a visit from legendary competitive eater Joey Chestnut, who laid waste to 7.5 pounds of brats, cheese curds, sauerkraut, and a Bavarian pretzel in under 10 minutes, easily dispatching two jobbers who were there competing presumably just for optics.

But now it’s your turn to devour cased meats, down big steins of beer, polka dance like nobody is watching, and wear some authentic or imitation lederhosen. And there is no shortage of opportunities to do it around the state. Here are a few notable celebrations on the horizon:

Working Draft Oktoberfest, Madison: September 11, 12 & 13
Chippewa Falls Oktoberfest: September 18 & 19
Oktoberfest USA, Lacrosse: September 24, 25, 26 & 27
New Glarus Oktoberfest: September 24, 25, 26 & 27
Appleton Oktoberfest Weekend: September 25 & 26
Germantown Historical Society Oktoberfest: September 26 & 27
Milwaukee Oktoberfest: October 2, 3, 4
Cederburg Oktoberfest: October 2, 3 &4
Lake Geneva Oktoberfest: October 10 & 11
Elkhorn Oktoberfest: October 17

That’s a few of the biggies to get you started. You know your location and schedule better than the Drink Wisconsinbly Week in Review Editorial Board, and you know how to operate the most popular search engines, so it’s up to you to zero in on the Oompahpalooza that best suits your unique needs.

Zicke Zacke, Hoi Hoi Hoi, friends.