Oktoberfest at Saint John
Saturday, October 6, 2018
11am-4pm
What to expect
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Saint John started Oktoberfest 40 years ago as a church potluck. Now it is our largest yearly fundraiser with all proceeds going to local and worldwide missions. People come from all over for Oktoberfest knowing there will be great food, friends, beer, and experiences to be shared.
In addition to the food, there is also a Old World Bakery and Delicatessin, Saint John's Attic, Children's Activities, the Oktoberfest Quilt Raffle, and this year we will be accepting Arts and Craft Vendors. We do accept credit and debit cards to purchase food tickets at the event. You will be charged a small processing fee to help cover the cost of being able to accept cards. |
food and drink
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Three types of food plates are sold at Oktoberfest. Tickets must be purchased at the ticket booth. You may use the ticket at the inside line (plates forhere) or the outside line (to go plates).
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Children's Activities
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Activities include a bounce house, pumpkin decorating, sack races on the half hour, and the unveiling of our new young children's playground. Children's activities are free. This year we will be outside on the back side of the church. We do ask that you help supervise your children to help ensure their safety.
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Old world bakery and delicatessen
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Homemade German Breads, Potato Salad, Apple Strudels, Bratwurst, and German Mustard are for sale in our Old World Bakery and Delicatessen.
Breads and other sweet snacks are individually priced for a few dollars or less. Large jars of homemade German Mustard are $7 each. Small jars of homemade German Mustard are $4 each. Frozen homemade Apple Strudels are $10 each. A case of Bratwurst (2 packages of 15) is $34. |
Oktoberfest quilt raffle
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This "Whimsical Rainbow Quilt" is sized to fit nicely on a queen or king size bed. A view of the backing pattern is also shown.
Raffle tickets are $2 each, available from any Kaffee Klatsch or church member, available via the church office on open days (Wed. & Thus., 9am to 1pm, stjohnlutheranchurch@gmail.com, 601-583-4898), and available on Oktoberfest day (Saturday, Oct. 6th) until the drawing time at 4pm. |
silent auction
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Our silent auction features items from around the world. Place a bid on your favorite item or items and maybe they will get to go home with you at 4pm!
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saint johns attic
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Things that sell well at Oktoberfest are things that are exceptional, like jewelry, extraordinary, novelty, and true vintage clothing, unique knick knacks or toys, and similar kinds of things of good value and condition that might be discovered in your grandparents’ attic.
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arts and craft vendors
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Nearly every community festival in Hattiesburg includes arts and crafts vendors as a part of their event. We’ve set aside about eight 12'x12' spaces along the church sidewalk along Hardy Street for those who are selling arts and crafts that they have made themselves. In doing so, we’re trying to provide an outlet for a network of good, local folks whose items pair well with Oktoberfest.
If you know of a local arts or crafts person, we’d love for them to make application to participate in Oktoberfest at Saint John Hattiesburg. Cheryl Webb Emmons is coordinating the vendors. The application form can be downloaded below. For more information or to return an application please contact the church office at 601.583.4898 or stjohnlutheranchurch@gmail.com 
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The 40th Annual Oktoberfest will take place on Saturday, October 6th, 11am-4pm at Saint John Lutheran Church.
You can expect your favorites such as the authentic German food, Oom-pah band, Quilt Raffle, Silent Auction, Delis, and more. Like us on Facebook for more information! www.facebook.com/OktoberfestHattiesburg/
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Oktoberfest Preparations Schedule
Monday, Aug. 20 – (8:30am) Make German Mustard. Bring a blender.
Sunday, Sept. 9 – Apple Strudel Prep. Light lunch served after worship. Then we will chop butter and mix the sour cream and
egg yolks.
Monday, Sept. 10 – (8:30am) Make Apple Strudels. Please bring your food processor and rolling pin. We need lots of help to
chop apples, mix cinnamon and sugar, and make dough!
Tuesday, Sept. 11 – Finish strudels if not completed Monday.
Sunday, Sept. 30 – Sauerkraut prep. Light lunch will be served after worship. Then we will fry 160# of bacon, chop
onions, and peel and chop apples. Please bring your electric skillet and sharp knife.
Monday, Oct. 1 – (8:30am) Make sauerkraut and sort 700# of potatoes.
Tuesday, Oct. 2 – (8:30am) Cook and peel potatoes. Make German Potato Salad. Start setting up rooms.
Wednesday, Oct. 3 – (8:30am) Finish Potato Salad and set up rooms.
Thursday, Oct. 4 – Bake at home.
Friday, Oct. 5 – Bake strudels and decorate.
Saturday, October 6 – Oktoberfest! Serving begins at 11am.
Sunday, October 7 – Clean up, as needed.
Please bring your breads and desserts for the deli area Friday or early on Saturday. Please have them wrapped and priced if possible. Items for Saint John’s Attic may be brought to the church beginning Sunday, September 30 and placed in the Conference Room (former nursery). Please bring donations for silent Auction by Saturday, September 30 or as soon as possible thereafter to allow time for advertising promotion. We need your help to make this a success. Thank you for making this such a special event!
Sunday, Sept. 9 – Apple Strudel Prep. Light lunch served after worship. Then we will chop butter and mix the sour cream and
egg yolks.
Monday, Sept. 10 – (8:30am) Make Apple Strudels. Please bring your food processor and rolling pin. We need lots of help to
chop apples, mix cinnamon and sugar, and make dough!
Tuesday, Sept. 11 – Finish strudels if not completed Monday.
Sunday, Sept. 30 – Sauerkraut prep. Light lunch will be served after worship. Then we will fry 160# of bacon, chop
onions, and peel and chop apples. Please bring your electric skillet and sharp knife.
Monday, Oct. 1 – (8:30am) Make sauerkraut and sort 700# of potatoes.
Tuesday, Oct. 2 – (8:30am) Cook and peel potatoes. Make German Potato Salad. Start setting up rooms.
Wednesday, Oct. 3 – (8:30am) Finish Potato Salad and set up rooms.
Thursday, Oct. 4 – Bake at home.
Friday, Oct. 5 – Bake strudels and decorate.
Saturday, October 6 – Oktoberfest! Serving begins at 11am.
Sunday, October 7 – Clean up, as needed.
Please bring your breads and desserts for the deli area Friday or early on Saturday. Please have them wrapped and priced if possible. Items for Saint John’s Attic may be brought to the church beginning Sunday, September 30 and placed in the Conference Room (former nursery). Please bring donations for silent Auction by Saturday, September 30 or as soon as possible thereafter to allow time for advertising promotion. We need your help to make this a success. Thank you for making this such a special event!
Seven Perfect Weeks of Preparation for Oktoberfest
Saturday, October 6th – 11am to 4pm
Improvements We’re Implementing for 2018
1. Saint John’s Attic Combines the Best of the Craft Room and the Vintage Room
We’re thankful that the craft and vintage rooms have made significant contributions to our Oktoberfest for many years. As we discern what works well for our event and resources, we’re introducing Saint John’s Attic, which combines the best of these two rooms.
Things that sell well at Oktoberfest are things that are exceptional, like jewelry, extraordinary, novelty, and true vintage clothing, unique knick knacks or toys, and similar kinds of things of good value and condition that might be discovered in your grandparents’ attic. We’re unable to accept general clothing this year and may need to exercise some discretion as we make this shift in focus. We’re still accepting hand-crafted items, which will be part of the whole.
Ray and Evelyn Rutledge will be coordinating Saint John’s Attic, which will be located in the Conference Room (former nursery). Please bring Attic items to the Conference Room beginning Sunday, Sept. 30th and by Thursday evening, Oct. 4th. Sorting and organizing must be completed on Friday, Oct. 5th.
2. Children’s Play Area Welcomes Families
One common denominator of all community festivals in Hattiesburg is the presence of an abundance of young families with children. We’re taking the steps to make sure our festival welcomes families and has activities for children. Additionally, we see this as a way to include a whole new set of volunteers.
Here’s what’s in store: The young children’s playground will be complete and available the whole day. We’ll have a jump house on the circle drive grass. Between them we’ll have sack races and pumpkin decorating (not carving). The area activities will be supervised by adults and demarcated by temporary orange construction fence. (By the way, the outdoor cooking will be trying a new location this year in the grassy right-of-way area at the back of the new parking lot.)
Gabby Bulger is coordinating all the children’s activities.
3. Arts & Crafts Vendors
Nearly every community festival in Hattiesburg includes arts and crafts vendors as a part of their event. We’ve set aside about eight 12'x12' spaces along the church sidewalk along Hardy Street for those who are selling arts and crafts that they have made themselves. In doing so, we’re trying to provide an outlet for a network of good, local folks whose items pair well with Oktoberfest.
If you know of a local arts or crafts person, we’d love for them to make application to participate in Oktoberfest at Saint John Hattiesburg. Cheryl Webb Emmons is coordinating the vendors. Information and applications may be obtained from her or the church office at 601.583.4898 or stjohnlutheranchurch@gmail.com or the website www.OktoberfestInHattiesburg.com.
4. Oktoberfest Is for Everyone
We believe that Oktoberfest is about welcoming and including new people in a time of festivity, that is marked by thankfulness and camaraderie and celebration. This hospitality is one of the dominant marks of our church culture and our Hattiesburg community. Sometimes this kind of positive, gracious, good-hearted celebration is missing from people’s lives. We’d like to have a part in restoring that. In this sense, Oktoberfest is for everyone.
To pull this off, we must recognize that we need the active help of everyone in the congregation. But it’s not just about the event or the day’s activities. What we find when we’re willing to roll up our sleeves and work shoulder to shoulder with others is that we’re sharing our lives with others, being vulnerable, covering shortcomings, strengthening relationships, and passing on good things to the rising generation.
To pull this off, we also need to seek the participation of people who are not actively a part of the congregation. We need to create spaces where we can show the ropes to new volunteers and Oktoberfest enthusiasts. “Whom can we include?” should be a driving question among us. This mindset builds excitement and extends the impact of Otkoberfest beyond just a one day event. It makes for a starting point for new stories, like this: “Well, we met at Oktoberfest, and we’ve been friends ever since.”
Let’s intentionally create and actively write new and better stories, because Oktoberfest is for everyone!
Saturday, October 6th – 11am to 4pm
Improvements We’re Implementing for 2018
1. Saint John’s Attic Combines the Best of the Craft Room and the Vintage Room
We’re thankful that the craft and vintage rooms have made significant contributions to our Oktoberfest for many years. As we discern what works well for our event and resources, we’re introducing Saint John’s Attic, which combines the best of these two rooms.
Things that sell well at Oktoberfest are things that are exceptional, like jewelry, extraordinary, novelty, and true vintage clothing, unique knick knacks or toys, and similar kinds of things of good value and condition that might be discovered in your grandparents’ attic. We’re unable to accept general clothing this year and may need to exercise some discretion as we make this shift in focus. We’re still accepting hand-crafted items, which will be part of the whole.
Ray and Evelyn Rutledge will be coordinating Saint John’s Attic, which will be located in the Conference Room (former nursery). Please bring Attic items to the Conference Room beginning Sunday, Sept. 30th and by Thursday evening, Oct. 4th. Sorting and organizing must be completed on Friday, Oct. 5th.
2. Children’s Play Area Welcomes Families
One common denominator of all community festivals in Hattiesburg is the presence of an abundance of young families with children. We’re taking the steps to make sure our festival welcomes families and has activities for children. Additionally, we see this as a way to include a whole new set of volunteers.
Here’s what’s in store: The young children’s playground will be complete and available the whole day. We’ll have a jump house on the circle drive grass. Between them we’ll have sack races and pumpkin decorating (not carving). The area activities will be supervised by adults and demarcated by temporary orange construction fence. (By the way, the outdoor cooking will be trying a new location this year in the grassy right-of-way area at the back of the new parking lot.)
Gabby Bulger is coordinating all the children’s activities.
3. Arts & Crafts Vendors
Nearly every community festival in Hattiesburg includes arts and crafts vendors as a part of their event. We’ve set aside about eight 12'x12' spaces along the church sidewalk along Hardy Street for those who are selling arts and crafts that they have made themselves. In doing so, we’re trying to provide an outlet for a network of good, local folks whose items pair well with Oktoberfest.
If you know of a local arts or crafts person, we’d love for them to make application to participate in Oktoberfest at Saint John Hattiesburg. Cheryl Webb Emmons is coordinating the vendors. Information and applications may be obtained from her or the church office at 601.583.4898 or stjohnlutheranchurch@gmail.com or the website www.OktoberfestInHattiesburg.com.
4. Oktoberfest Is for Everyone
We believe that Oktoberfest is about welcoming and including new people in a time of festivity, that is marked by thankfulness and camaraderie and celebration. This hospitality is one of the dominant marks of our church culture and our Hattiesburg community. Sometimes this kind of positive, gracious, good-hearted celebration is missing from people’s lives. We’d like to have a part in restoring that. In this sense, Oktoberfest is for everyone.
To pull this off, we must recognize that we need the active help of everyone in the congregation. But it’s not just about the event or the day’s activities. What we find when we’re willing to roll up our sleeves and work shoulder to shoulder with others is that we’re sharing our lives with others, being vulnerable, covering shortcomings, strengthening relationships, and passing on good things to the rising generation.
To pull this off, we also need to seek the participation of people who are not actively a part of the congregation. We need to create spaces where we can show the ropes to new volunteers and Oktoberfest enthusiasts. “Whom can we include?” should be a driving question among us. This mindset builds excitement and extends the impact of Otkoberfest beyond just a one day event. It makes for a starting point for new stories, like this: “Well, we met at Oktoberfest, and we’ve been friends ever since.”
Let’s intentionally create and actively write new and better stories, because Oktoberfest is for everyone!
