Oktoberfest 2008

This past weekend we made our annual trip to De Kalb for Oktoberfest. We got there on Friday a little later than normal, but that is okay. On Saturday morning, we woke to rain and cold winds. We began to wonder if it was going to ruin the day. The firemen always make a pancake breakfast, this year was no exception. It runs from 6 am - 9 am. This year we almost missed it. We didn't mean to oversleep, but it happened. The entire family got up, got dressed and was out the door in a matter of 35 minutes. I think this is a record. But we made it none the less. Riley ate with Grandma. And Hattie had to sit by Jane and Landry. That is Papa with them. Joni always provides the girls with their "Oktoberfest T-shirts". We look forward to them every year.

After breakfast, we strolled downtown to wait for the parade. Since it was raining, they were not sure if it would start on time or be postponed. It began on time. Charlie and Dwight Wood Jr. always emcee during the parade. This year was no different. See him on the balcony? That is Joni behind him.The parade did begin on time and as you can see Hattie is all about the parade. She was not happy to have to sit and wait. Plus, it was super cold. Hattie could talk of nothing but the parade for 2 days. Her favorites are the Fire Trucks, Shriner cars, the De Kalb Band, and the horses. This year one of the firemen for De Kalb's Fire Dept. had a massive heart attack at age 36 and died just the week before. One of the most moving things that I have seen in a long time happened during the parade. As the fire trucks got to the stage, they stopped, turned off their engines and all exited the vehicles. They then asked for a moment of silence. It was so touching. After the moment of silence, they rang every siren long and loud, and the parade moved on. Due to the weather, the Shriner cars didn't attend, nor did the antique cars. There were many booths to see and various foods to be eaten. Yummy Fried Pies! However, we kept with our tradition of meeting friends at the Front Street Junction, where 3 of us split a large FSJ Special Pizza! YUM! The afternoon was filled with the Cabaret Show, which was one of the best in my opinion, the carnival, and the Cinderfella Beauty Pageant. And no, I didn't mispell it, is in fact a drag show. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

This was the first year for the festival to have the carnival rides. Hattie couldn't wait to get started. Riley pooped out after her train ride. Poor baby. It was nice that they had rides for little kids and a few for the non-pregnant bigger kids.

A blast was had by all, and by the time it got dark, it was bed for everyone!