COLUMBIA, S.C. — After a two year break because of the pandemic, Oktoberfest Columbia is back and in full swing-with authentic food and German Culture.
Pastor Emily Willhide has been the pastor at Incarnation Lutheran Church on Devine Street for two years. She says with the help from her congregation, neighbors, and volunteers, her church was able to bring back Oktoberfest Columbia after it was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She says the goal is simple for the event: food, beer, and fellowship. Oktoberfest Columbia takes place in the back lot of the church and according to organizers has sent tens of thousands of dollars to various charitable groups in South Carolina.
"We donate to a number of charities and most of them are here in the Columbia area. Lutheran Services Carolinas, which does a lot of work here in the Midlands, is one of the big ones that we donate to. There is also a children's orphanage that we donate to."
According to event volunteer Sarah Sawicki, the event offers an array of German food with an emphasis on authenticity.
"We have a schnitzel sandwich, we have bratwursts ... we have a new thing year, new to us is currywurst," Sawicki said. "We make all of our own food from scratch, we fry the schnitzel, we get the sausages from a German butcher in Georgia, so we try to be as really as authentic as possible."
She adds that it's important to have the a place where you can explore German culture, especially here in Columbia.
"A lot of people don’t know that much of the Midlands was actually settled by German settlers way back in the 1700s. As a matter of fact, we have an area called Dutch fork. It actually is 'Dutch' fork, that’s German, so that’s our heritage so we're just trying to bring that."
Sue DeMicheal is a baker at Oktoberfest Columbia. She says it takes months of preparation to get everything ready, even using her own kitchen at home to make pastries. She says it's all worth it see people get out and experience the culture.
"It’s a way of opening up the world to people ...and the culture, the food."