Sunday Sip - Prost! It’s time for Oktoberfest!

Celebrating 60 years with German Beer and the joys of travel

Willkommen zum Sonntagssip! As I write this, we are somewhat spaced out, sitting in the airport in Amsterdam, waiting for our next flight, which takes us to Munich, Germany, for a nice long adventure. As it is Oktoberfest, we’ll probably hoist a masskrug (or two). 

Celebrating 60 with Oktoberfest

I thought I’d share a story of what led to us traveling to Germany this year for Oktoberfest. Back in April, I turned 60. When Brenda and I travel, it’s typically with a small group of our friends, Jeff and Angie, as well as our family (and friends) Dianne (Brenda’s sister) and Greg. It varies as to who goes on what trips depending on life, work, and whatever, but these wonderful people are our tour group. I usually whip up an itinerary for a destination that sounds good and make the arrangements (booking rooms / Airbnbs / rental car / whatever). Then, it is time to hit the road and explore.

When someone has a major birthday, they get to pick the destination. Since I turned 60 this year, I picked Germany, specifically during Oktoberfest. You may wonder why Germany? And why Oktoberfest? Well, let me tell you.

Germany intrigued me early on in life, as my Mom’s maiden name is Walters. I assumed this was a German name. I’d heard that my Great-Grandma was Pennsylvania Dutch, which is a bastardization of Pennsylvania Deutsch. Turns out that I’m about 8% German according to Ancestry. Regardless of the percentage, I was curious about Germany.

My intrigue with Germany continued when I got into craft beers. In particular, when I first saw a Hacker Pschorr Weisse, being poured into a tall pilsner glass. The server put the glass on top of the bottle and then flipped it over. The glass filled with a hazy straw, turning to honey-colored beer. The server then rolled the bottle back and forth in their hands to let get every drop out of the bottle, which added to its hazy wonder.

A few years later, I attended my first Oktoberfest celebration in downtown Ann Arbor. The local breweries at the time were located on Washington, just off Main Street. To the west of Main was Grizzly Peak Brewing, and to the east was Arbor Brewing Company. They both had beer tents with music, bratwurst, pretzels, and, of course, beer. If I had to make a judgment call on authenticity, I would give the nod to Arbor based purely on the Oompah band. It was a fun and somewhat drunken celebration at the end of September as we all headed into Fall. I soon found myself wondering about what this celebration would be like in Germany.

My friend Rick, who’d actually been to Munich for Oktoberfest, regaled me with stories of mile-long tents filled with people from around the world enjoying roasted chicken and liters of beer. As you know from reading the Sunday Sip, I’m not the best at meeting new people. However, there is an intrigue in a huge celebration where everyone is enjoying music and beer. Huge crowds aren’t necessarily my thing, yet I found the idea of a giant community gathering appealing. These experiences laid the foundation for a trip to Germany to experience Oktoberfest for myself.

Our trip isn’t an all out beer frenzy at Oktoberfest. While I know that a few weeks won’t even scratch the surface of discovering what a place has to offer, it is important to me to try to get a feel for the space we’ll visit. I’m trying to get a small taste of Bavaria on this trip. We’ll head north to Nuremberg, stop in Rothenburg ob de Tauber, bop down to Augsburg, and hit Munich for the last few days of Oktoberfest.

With the fest under our belts, we’ll swing south to Fussen and Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Enjoy the Alps along the Austrian border, then dive into Salzburg and Vienna. Having tasted a bit of Mozart, we head back to Munich for one last night before heading home. It will be a great trip (a couple of days in, and it is already awesome), but only a small savory morsel of what is surely here.

I have to smile as I sit here with you this morning in Germany. I love to travel. I started when I was 18 and haven’t stopped. I didn’t make it to Europe until I was nearly 50 (Scotland was my first stop). There is so much world, and the phrase “so little time” rings true. I’ve not immersed myself for months in cultures, but I’ve tried to experience what I can of this wonderful world and its people. There is no better way to expand your mind, fill your heart, and invigorate your soul than travel. Regardless of whether it is traveling a few hours to another town or flying to another continent, travel is probably one of the most important things you can do with the precious time we have on this Earth.

If you have held off on travel, I implore you to get out the door now. I realize that it can be expensive, but there are ways to see the world on a budget. As I said, just getting a few hours away can spark your mind into seeing from a new point of view. It doesn’t matter at what age you decide to travel. As the Nike slogan goes, “Just Do It!!!”

GIG - The Art of Michigan Music

In the latest edition of the GIG newsletter, we give you a heads-up on getting your tickets now and booking your hotel room, as the discount rate for hotels ends on October 8th. Plus, we’ve got a shout-out for our sponsors, who thankfully believe in what we are trying to do with GIG—The Art of Michigan Music Foundation. I think these businesses understand that supporting the visual arts in music is important to our communities.

If you haven’t already, sign-up for the GIG—The Art of Michigan Music newsletter, and we’ll keep you in the loop of all things GIG. Plus, as we go forward, we’ll spotlight members of the Michigan music community.

Upcoming Events You Won't Want to Miss

There is so much to share every week. If you have events that we missed, please be sure to post a note on Substack. 

Music

Freak Fest 2024 in Downtown Ypsilanti on Oct 4- 6 - Live music, art, and more at Wyrd Byrd, Ziggy’s, Regal Beagle, Riverside Park, Bloodroot Herb Shop, and Hyperion Coffee in Ypsi.

Stormy Chromer with Mezz at New Dodge Lounge in Hamtramck on Oct 4 - Jams and more jams in Hamtramck

Grand Rapids Doomfest at The Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids on Oct 5 - Let the doom consume you in Grand Rapids.

Feminine Energy #4 at Ypsi Alehouse in Ypsilanti on Oct 5 - Feel the energy of these great female singer/songwriters: Brooke Bowler, Sara Lambert, Robin Monterosso, Jean Wilson, Kathy Wieland, Robin Grant & Kandy Fredrick.

Dharma, Downtown Reverie, Moonwreckers, Mike Galbraith & Courtney Hurley at Lager House in Detroit on Oct 5 - Rock out with our pals Moonwreckers plus other great bands.

Laith Al-Saadi Birthday Bash at The Ark in Ann Arbor on Oct 5 - A night full of music celebrating the life of one of Michigan’s finest musicians, Laith Al-Saadi.

Dirk Kroll Band Live at Goldner Walsh in Pontiac on Oct 10 - An evening of rock from the stellar Dirk Kroll Band.

Heartsick at Diesel Concert Lounge in Chesterfield on Oct 11 - Heavy music rules with Heartsick headlining a fantastic lineup including Walking Down Main, Torn Away, Precordial Thump, Annex Void (awesome progressive metal), Horror Movies in the Morning, The Eighth Passenger, Already Over, Nothing After This and Katharsis.

God Bullies with Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends + Salvation and The Amino Acids at Small’s in Hamtramck on Oct 11 - Rock rules the night with a killer line-up of post-punk rock music.

Great Honk Fest III at Island Park in Ann Arbor on Oct 13 - Free Live Music at Island Park, Shelter B, in Ann Arbor. 1-6:30. BYO Picnic gear; family-friendly. Buddy Keys as Hellvis, The Whiskey Charmers, The Hourlies, Fangs and Twang and Deadsurf are all performing

Beers

Grass Lake Oktoberfest on Oct 5 - Celebrate with beer, wine, cider, Bavarian foods, and festive music.

Archival Barrel Aged Beer Fest at Archival Brewing in Belmont on Oct 5 - Enjoy some big beers at one of the best breweries in Grand Rapids.

Ogma 3 Year Anniversary Party at Ogma Brewing in Jackson on Oct 12 - A full day of beers, art, music, killer food, and community as Ogma Brewing celebrates their 3rd birthday with a huge bash including daytime tunes and nighttime metal music. This will be awesome, and I’m bummed we can’t make it as we are in Germany.

Backyard Beer Garden at Palmer Commons in Chelsea on Oct 12 - Spend the afternoon and evening with friends and family while playing giant backyard games and enjoying a tasty beer (or two). For a taste of what this event is like, check out last year’s coverage.

Growl-er BeerFest at Selcra Meijer Park in Brighton on Oct 13 - Livingston County’s only dog-friendly beer fest. Bring your pup and enjoy awesome Michigan craft beers. Take a look at the fun you can have.

Various Intrigues

Weekend Walk for Birds at The Arb in Ann Arbor on Sep 29 - September is the peak of fall warbler migration and Nichols Arboretum is one of the best places in Ann Arbor to find them!

A Lot of Art at ART 634 in Jackson on Sep 29 - On September 29 from 12-5 pm, the old Acme Lot at Art 634 will be taken over by local artists selling discounted supplies, art work, and musical items. Stop by and discover a new hobby or an original art piece for that blank wall. Need an affordable one-of-a-kind gift? This is your place!

Fairly Odd Finds Finds Artist Market: Goblins & Ghouls Edition at Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds in Saline on Oct 5 - Seasonal art market where you can where your Halloween costume

Pioneer Day at Waterloo Farm and Dewey School Museum in Grass Lake on Oct 6 - A celebration of late 19th-century farm life. Enjoy tours of the Farm Museum and Dewey School, live music, crafts demonstrations, trades, and traditional cooking methods. This is a lot of fun!

Dark Art Show at ART 634 in Jackson on Oct 11 - On Friday, October 11th, from 6 PM to 9 PM, we invite you to Art 634's annual Dark Art Show, where the realms of imagination and horror are brought to life on canvas and sculpture. Artwork will remain in the galleries until November 17th.

WHFR Record Show in Dearborn on Oct 12 - The WHFR Record Show will feature thousands of records, CDs, DVDs, videos, cassettes, books, posters, print-work, clothing, artwork, and other forms of music, movie and pop-culture memorabilia for sale by independent, local, and out-of-state vendors, selling everything from rare independent releases to highly sought-after collectable titles.

A2 Artoberfest 2024 in Ann Arbor on Oct 12 - The Guild of Artists & Artisans (The Guild) is proud to announce the fourth annual A2 Artoberfest Fine Art Fair, Saturday and Sunday, October 12th & 13th in Downtown Ann Arbor. The event stretches across Ann Street and North Fourth Ave. from Huron into the charming Kerrytown area.

Fret Rescue Welcome Party at Rudeboy Music in Jackson on Oct 12 - Celebrate Fret Rescue’s new digs at Rudeboy Music in Jackson.

Mark Dancey’s “House of Fancy” gallery reception at Detroit Contemporary in Detroit on Oct 12 - Join us Saturday, October 12th, from 6pm-10pm for the gallery reception of Mark Dancey's exhibition "House of Fancy"

In Other News

Brenda has a story on the little town that could, otherwise known as Allegan, over at Rural Innovation Exchange. This town was a very pleasant surprise, with a beautifully renovated downtown and three (yes, three!) breweries in a town of about 5,000 people. I’m sure we’ll be back again for a visit.

Substack Restack Attack

Substack is where it’s at. Check out these other superb publications:

Flow State: Ambient Country Episode 35: Chuck Johnson by

Flow State

- I wish I could attribute this to a particular author, but I had trouble finding one for Flow State. What caught my eye here was “Ambient Country.” What in the hell is Ambient Country? I gave a listen, and it is sort of what you’d think…ambient music with steel guitar. Sort of weird, but the point is that Flow State provides something beyond the ordinary.

Incidental Comics: A Walk in the Woods by

Grant Snider

- These drawings are fantastic, and I wish I could think this way. It is genius and lovely.

Adventures Yet To Print

All of our print ideas are on hold while in Germany. We’ve got a story on Moon Mountain that should be out when we get back. A few savory morsels still need to find the light of day. Plus, we’ll have adventures from Germany to share.

What Are You Reading?

Before we headed out, I finished Acid For The Children by Flea (aka Michael Balzary, bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers). I’d heard Flea on Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson's Where Everyone Knows Your Name podcast and was intrigued by his book, mainly because he seemed to be a very caring and humble human. He’s got a bit of a spiritual vibe going on, which comes through in the book. 

Flea has had an interesting childhood (the book ends just as the Chili Peppers begin). He shares stories of being raised by parents who weren’t the most attentive. As a result, he dealt with a fair amount of anxiety and wished for the idealized parents that few of us had. I was struck by how much I liked Flea, but also felt so very bad for him. The drugs, the life on the edge, it all made me feel a bit anxious. It's clear from reading his book that he’s found a way to overcome these obstacles and make peace with his insecurities. Hearing Flea’s story was interesting; I just wish it wasn’t so sad.

What Are You Spinning?

Since we are traveling, my turntable is sitting alone and feeling somewhat neglected. Tell me what you have spinning instead?

That’s A Wrap

We are in Rothenburg ob der Tauber as I finish up this Sunday Sip. As always, thank you for reading. I hope your week is magnificent. Prost!