Oct. 19 Buena’s German program brought a new energy to the merriment that is Oktoberfest. For the 3rd year in a row the event featured a photo booth, arm wrestling competitions, squeaky pig toys, and so much more.

This festival brings both students and staff together to enjoy a fun break full of German traditions and festivities, it is  also a great time to hang out with friends and learn about new cultures.

“I wanted to show the student population a little piece, a snippet of German culture,” German  teacher Sabine Schafer-Mitchell said. 

Schafer Mitchell was the teacher who ran the event, encouraging people to participate, as well as making sure that all of the events ran smoothly, and received equal attraction.

The games were all based on actual games in traditional Oktoberfests, such as the Flaschen Stammen, or officially Stein Holding, though at Buena they used water bottles. 

“[Students] came up with some ideas for the games,” Schafer-Mitchell said.

There was also the potato sack jump, where students raced across the quad, and the Arm Drücken, or arm wrestling, and a flashcard matching German words. 

“I was going around the stations, helping, trying to get people to participate,” sophomore Noah Rowe said.

Rowe was one of the students participating in running the event. He is in German class, and could have been seen at the event running the potato sack jump.

“If you don’t know about other cultures and traditions you might learn harmful stereotypes instead,” freshman Rosetta Merenda said. 

They were one of the students that participated in the activities of the event.

Traditionally, Oktoberfest is an annual festival that originated in Germany and celebrated the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony Oct. 12 1810. Nowadays, it is celebrated throughout the world, with beer, games, and pretzels.