By Brian Trompeter
Vienna Oktoberfest Draws Tens of Thousands to Historic Church Street: Throngs of beer and wine enthusiasts, hungry revelers, families, entertainers and people celebrating their German heritage filled the area around the historic Freeman Store & Museum on Oct. 7 for Vienna Oktoberfest.
Sponsored by the Vienna Business Association in coordination with town government, the event drew about 20,000 people, estimated VBA executive director Peggy James. That estimate might be low, as the crowd was shoulder-to-shoulder when the GazetteLeader dropped by to take some photos around 3 p.m.
“Staggering, right?” James said of the turnout. “It was by far more people than we have ever had – more vendors, more sponsors, more beer selections, more food.”
The morning was cloudy and drizzly, but the skies cleared up by afternoon. Singers and jugglers performed for the crowd, many of whom were dressed in traditional German garb. Some people even carried plungers for holding their plastic cups of beer.
German food was on offer, of course, but so were treats from many other countries. Event attendees looked for any available place to enjoy their meals.
The Freeman Store & Museum was open for tours, along with the town’s original library, located on the same property. Vendors lined Church Street, N.E., and part of Mill Street, N.E., and town police kept a watchful eye on the crowd.
The Vienna Singing Princesses, dressed in colorful costumes depicting not only princesses but movie characters as well, posed for photos with children and some painted the youngsters’ faces.
