Schmidt's Restaurant rescues Oktoberfest

I was very disappointed that the German Village Society canceled Oktoberfest. Thankfully, Schmidt's saved the festival. I will attend Oktoberfest at the fairgrounds. I haven't been happy with how the German Village Society has ran the event for years. They move it all over downtown to a worse and worse location and pick the same, tired bands. Hopefully, The Menus, Reaganomics and Lt.Dan's New Legs will not be on the lineup.....again.

Nottheoneuknow wrote:

Do you really think that the folks who live around Schiller Park in their million dollar homes want Oktoberfest in their front yard?
German Village is about as German as Bexley or Muirfield these days.
Celebrating a long-standing social event like Oktoberfest shouldn't be dependent upon being next to homes that even German visitors don't recognize when they come to Columbus.
Good going Schmidt's!

Comfest is held across the street from many homes on 3 sides of Goodale Park in Victorian Village and it's a much, much bigger festival. These are very nice homes as well, some are nicer. I never hear or read any complaints from residents about the often "sketchy" crowds that come to Comfest. I agree with various posters. People living in German Village are a different breed all together. I'm not saying they are snobby but, well I don't know how to say it without offending anyone. That's not my intention.

This great festival helps make this a great neighborhood, so they are only hurting themselves and their image.

I applaud Schmidt's for doing this. Oktoberfest has been a joke in this city for far too long. We went last year, and there was nothing German about it, so I have no idea what Holdridge is talking about. The past few years that I have gone there have been more OSU paraphenalia vendors than german crafts and so forth. This is a celebration of German culture, not one of Columbus, the darn buckeyes, or a hoity toity residential area. As long as it is more than a beer tent selling Miller and 400 OSU, windchime, and candle vendors, who cares wher eit is?