Dordt students and community members alike celebrated Oktoberfest at the Fruited Plain Café on Saturday, October 13th. Musicians from around the community joined in the festivities and took part in a celebration of autumn, autumnal brews, and German cuisine.

Oktoberfest, the world’s largest fair, is annually held in Munich and celebrates German foods and beer. In order to accommodate this festivity in Sioux Center, Fruited Plain’s owner Laremy De Vries decided to hold an “epic celebration” in its honor, which has just seen its third year, he said.

“It seems to be getting more perfect with time,” De Vries said on Saturday about the celebration. In addition to over 10 special Oktoberfest beers, De Vries served traditional German sausage, frankfurters, pretzels, spaetzle, and red cabbage.

Although many people came for the microbrews and food, others came simply to enjoy local music.  Starting the evening off were The Jerries, a band of current Dordt students, who played a selection of cover songs from The Black Keys, The Shins, and Band of Horses, to name a few.

“We were told The Jerries could function as a bar-band in Minneapolis just for shear entertainment value,” bassist Caleb Buum said.  The Jerries includes Ben Sytsma as vocalist, Landon Tillema and Daryl Bruinsma as guitarists, Caleb Buum as bassist, and Darin Lammers as drummer.

Devon Cadwell, a senior psychology major, represented Northwestern in the musical festivities. Cadwell, a regular to the Fruited Plain, played several original songs as well as covers.

“The Fruited Plain is one of my favorite places to hang out. There’s great coffee, [and] great beer,” he said.

In addition to these artists, past Dordt student Chris Vogel and local band The Washups played for Oktoberfest.  Vogel’s music can be found under the name “Flowerstalks” on Bandcamp.com.  The Washups, a band of Dordt faculty and past and present Dordt students, closed the official music schedule of the evening.

Customers flooded through the congested building and into the parking lot throughout the evening, and the overall reaction was quite positive.

“As a regular, I really appreciate seeing a lot of new faces in here.  It’s an adventure every time you come through the doors,” senior Jake Miller said about the evening.

Danielle Richards, Staff Writer