![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/files\/2018\/10\/OktoberFest2-890x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Bailey Thompson | News Editor<\/span><\/p>\n In the courtyard of the Werner University Center on Oct. 10, popular German music blasted through speakers and the smell of German food wafted through the air: the members of German Club had prepared a feast for the whole Western community.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019ve got here is bratwurst \u2014 one of the most German things there is \u2014 and we\u2019ve got some\u2026 curry sauce, which is like a German version of ketchup. Then we have German-style sauerkraut and potato salad\u2026 and we\u2019ve got some German Apple Cakes,\u201d said German Club President and sophomore German major Alyssa Jackson.<\/span><\/p>\n The only thing missing from this traditional Oktoberfest meal is beer, but the club doesn\u2019t serve alcohol since their event is hosted on a college campus.<\/span><\/p>\n When asked about the significance of Oktoberfest to the club, Jackson said that \u201cit\u2019s fun, there\u2019s lot of good food and it\u2019s nice to just share the German culture.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Although the event is exciting for the club members and those in the Western community, Jackson shared that the club also has another reason for selling Oktoberfest meals.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAll the proceeds are going to the German Club scholarship, which is $1,000 that gets awarded to one student,\u201d said Jackson. And, when asked about how the scholarship recipient was chosen, she shared that \u201cit goes off of what German means to you and why you\u2019re studying it. Obviously, we want to put it with someone who has a connection to German rather than just someone who wants money.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n One thing that many students may not know is that Oktoberfest is a long-standing tradition on Western\u2019s campus.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI started here 37 years ago, and we\u2019ve done it ever since,\u201d said German professor Dr. Hoobler.<\/span><\/p>\n Reflecting on the way that the festivity occurs in Germany, Hoobler added that \u201cOctober gets rainy, and so (in Germany) they do Oktoberfest in September.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Hoobler concluded by saying that \u201cwhat you see (here) is really what they do. It\u2019s the end of the harvest festival, and they serve us this and it\u2019s a chance for us to get together. Germans are very social \u2014 it\u2019s all about the community \u2014 and so really all over Germany we\u2019ll have Oktoberfest.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n