“It’s hard to mess up good food, cold beer and good polka music,” laughs Miller Boat Line ferry operator Billy Market. “And we’ve got a good crowd of people. People love dressing up. They bring out the lederhosen and German hats.The weather makes or breaks it — like anything on the Lakes — and this year, the forecast is 77 degrees and sunny. If you’re looking for one last good weekend on the bay, this is it.”
Market, lifelong Put-in-Bay resident, and his siblings head up the family business of ferrying tourists, residents and supplies back and forth across the bay. Only 550 people live on the island year-round, but during peak season weekends, that number skyrockets to at least 15,000. Market began helping out when he was 10 years old by selling tickets to the ferry, graduated to swabbing decks, and at 18 received his captain’s license.
“Anything that’s used or consumed on the island, we haul. We are the lifeline to the island. There’s a lot of responsibility to the community. We haul eggs, beer, cement, appliances,” says Market. “I like the interaction with the people, seeing the same people from weekend to weekend and then meeting new people, telling them where to go and what to do. Where’s the coldest beer? My favorite spot to watch the sunset? It’s fun to share our island with everybody.”
Market will share his island with an anticipated 2,500 Oktoberfest attendees. The 24th annual German-style festival features German food, hot spiced wine and cold beer. It's open Saturday, October 13, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Admission to the tent is $4 each day, or buy a two-day pass for $6.
“Oktoberfest is such a good fit for the fall and for the island,” says Market. “Between the pumpkin spice, fall foliage, beer and football in the air, it was just so natural for us to want to do this.”
With the boating season no longer adhering to the sharp cut-offs of Memorial Day and Labor Day, Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce looked for ways to attract visitors to their island during shoulder seasons. Joe Suttmann, the original organizer, speaks fluent German and drew on the area’s rich cultural heritage to get the Commerce to back an annual Oktoberfest. Visitors can expect brats, potato pancakes, apple dumplings, stuffed cabbage, pierogi, cabbage and noodles, schnitzel, pies, German Chocolate cake and so much more, provided by Put-in-Bay Chamber member restaurants, live polka and German music too!
“Everytime you go to a fair, you have that one thing you love that you’re going to come back for next year,” Market reminisces. “Once you come for one thing, you’ll sample others, and people just keep coming back. Anytime you can mix decent weather, food and beer, you’re gonna find a real good combination of things.”
Oktoberfest is one of the three largest fundraisers Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce holds throughout the year. The money goes directly back into supporting the community’s largest industry: tourism. “There aren’t that many jobs you can hold here that don’t rely on tourism,” Market says. “I’ve got a great great group of up to 120 employees during peak season that are like family, and it takes a whole family to make everything work the way it does.”
For more information on Oktoberfest and Put-in-Bay, go to visitPutInBay.com. If Ohio isn’t on your fallfest list this year, make sure it gets there next year! In the meantime, check out these other great festivals around the Great Lakes:
Oct. 13–15, 2017
Sister Bay’s annual end-of-season bash features live music all over the village, a huge arts and crafts fair, games and activities for kids, amazing street food and beverages, and new this year, a 50/50 raffle!
October 13–15, 2017
Dozens of Northern Michigan orchards are represented at Apple Fest, and they bring more than 30 varieties of traditional and heirloom apples along with cider, baked goods, apple butter and other fall produce like pumpkins and squash. The accompanying arts and crafts show with 125 exhibitors brings craftspeople to Charlevoix to show their talent. And all of this takes place in downtown Charlevoix in East Park on the Round Lake waterfront — a gorgeous setting!
Dakota Inn Rathskeller Oktoberfest
Dinner is served from 5–10 p.m. on Fridays and from 5–11 p.m. on Saturdays; music is at 8 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 28. The address is 17324 John R, Detroit. There is a $3 cover charge and reservations are advised. There are more details on the Dakota Inn website.
Chicago's Friday Night Flights, Oktoberfest Edition
October 13, fishing from 3–5 p.m.
Oktoberfest activities include free fishing, “Friday Night Flights” of beer and a fireworks show finale on the LaSalle, Clark, Dearborn and State street bridges. Riverwalk restaurants including City Winery, Tiny Tapp and O'Brien’s will offer specials.
The Metropolitan Planning Council, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Shedd Aquarium and other groups invite Chicagoans to grab a pole and fish the Chicago River between Lake and Franklin streets. Any fish caught must be released. Some fishing poles and bait will be provided. Those interested are asked to pre-register here.
Ann Arbor Friday the 13th
Ann Arbor is always booming with events. It can be difficult to navigate when and where certain things are happening, so we decided to provide our picks for what you should do this weekend, from the spooky to the family-friendly, and everywhere in between.
This Friday happens to be the 13th of October, and fittingly The Michigan Theater is screening the original Friday the 13th at 9:30 p.m. Fans of the movie will surely remember a young Kevin Bacon in a small role, as well as Betsy Palmer, who shows up late in the movie as someone who may or may not know a thing or two about the mysterious killings at Camp Crystal Lake.
Trick or Treat on the Huron River
October 15, 12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
All ages are welcome (children must be one-year or older). Spend the afternoon enjoying the haunting fall beauty of the Huron River and trick or treating by canoe/kayak. As you go around Gallup Pond, you will encounter creatures handing out treats/candy. Costumes are welcome. Bring a bag to store your candy and watch out for pirates and monsters. Location information: Parks and Recreation Facilities - Gallup Park Canoe Livery (View Map) 3000 Fuller Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105 Washtenaw. Phone: 734.794.6240
Toronto
Promenade through the immersive theatrical experience of Legends of Horror at Casa Loma as the audience winds its way through a 1.75 km trail starting in the lower gardens of the castle through the tunnels, turrets and darkest spaces never before open to the public. On the way you’ll encounter the legendary characters of horror brought to life by a multitude of actors. Date: September 29 to October 31, 2017.
Riverboat Coffee House, The Yorkville Scene
Saturday, October 21, 8:00 p.m. The Machine Shop in Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Canada
Opened in 1964 in the basement of a Victorian row house, the Riverboat Coffee House was a launching pad for Canadian singer-songwriters like Gordon Lightfoot, Ian and Sylvia, Murray McLauchlan, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. Mike Ross will music-direct a lineup of multi-disciplinary artists as they celebrate the stories and songs that made Yorkville the place to be in the free-loving sixties.
Beòlach
Saturday, October 28 8 p.m. The Machine Shop in Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Canada
Performing a lively mix of Cape Breton, Scottish and Irish tunes, the group features Mairi Rankin (fiddle, step-dance), Wendy MacIsaac (fiddle, piano, step-dance), Mac Morin (piano, accordion, step-dance) and the newly added, multi-talented Matt MacIsaac (Highland pipes, whistles, guitar and banjo.) On stage and in their recordings, Beòlach presents original compositions as well as unique, dynamic arrangements of traditional tunes. This group will vow to make it a lively night of music, complete with infectious rhythms and honest humour that people have come to love from the East Coast.
