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HAVANA, Ill. (WMBD) — Below is the transcript for Friday’s Loving Living Local segment.
GRETCHEN: Welcome back to Loving Living Local. I’m Gretchen Wirtz and today we are getting ready for Octoberfest in Havana. We are talking about it. It’s going to be here very soon. Fall weather and all that fun stuff. Joining me today are two of the committee members, Ashley Van Etten, and also we have Noelle Roos. Thank you guys so much for being here.
GRETCHEN: This is the 49th year for the Havana Oktoberfest. All right. So what’s going on first is going on September 9th, 10th and 11th. Yes. Okay. Three days of fun. What’s the highlight? What are we looking forward to the most?
ASHLEY: So the evening of Friday, it starts with the parade. And the parade is going to be our biggest parade of the year. It lasts about 45 to 60 minutes. And this year’s parade theme is going to be ‘small town, big business.’ We have a grand marshal that is going to be Jack Boggs senior. And he’s a lifelong resident of Havana and a business owner, former business owner. He’s 95 years old. So that’s where it kind of kicks off. And that’s where it starts. Friday night, we have…
NOELLE: Friday night we have a country band, Long, Hard Ride playing.
ASHLEY: And the acts are one of our bigger, bigger things for the weekend. So.
GRETCHEN: Okay. Yeah. So, what do you have going on this Saturday?
NOELLE: And then Saturday starts with the 39th annual Polka Pace race. It’s a 5k that starts at 8 a.m.
GRETCHEN: Do you need to explain that? What is that?
NOELLE: So it’s just the Polka Pace race. It’s a 5k race. So three miles.
ASHLEY: Okay.
NOELLE: Point one. And then after that, they do a one-mile polka dot race for the kids. You can sign up for those online via our Facebook page, there is a link to sign up or you can sign up the morning of the race.
GRETCHEN: I don’t know if you had to do the polka to do…
ASHLEY: Oh, you could if you want to. No, you can. So. And then after our Polka Pace race, the day continues with music during the afternoon. So from 1 to 4, we have Eddie Korosa and the Boys from Illinois. They are a polka band and they have actually been playing at our event since 1979. So 43 years.
GRETCHEN: They’ve been every?
ASHLEY: Yes, every Saturday. So. And along with them on Saturday afternoon, we have a German attire contest, beer sign holding contest, a brat eating contest and a bags tournament. So lots going on Saturday afternoon.
GRETCHEN: Do you have your Lederhosen ready, are you guys set?
ASHLEY: Yes, I did it last year. So yes, we’ll see.
GRETCHEN: I thought you would wear that today, but I like that shirt.
ASHLEY: But yes.
GRETCHEN: Yes. Are those going to be for sale there?
ASHLEY: Yes, we will have these for sale.
GRETCHEN: Yes. Okay. Yes. And what about for the kids? What you got going on for the kids?
NOELLE: So Friday night, Saturday and Sunday, we have Carnival all day long.
GRETCHEN: The what the kids were waiting for, games.
NOELLE: And then Sunday we…
ASHLEY: Have Havana’s got talent.
NOELLE: Havana’s got talent.
ASHLEY: So, Havana’s got talent is going to be for all ages and it will be… they get to showcase their talent and then there’ll be cash prize, cash prizes. Right. Okay. So yeah.
GRETCHEN: And so it just the day off or can people like just sign up and come out? Or is there like preliminary stuff beforehand?
ASHLEY: Yeah. I mean, you can sign up. You can sign up for that via our Facebook page as well. But you can show up that day and get signed up. And then along with that on Sunday, we have just the remainder of the craft vendors and food vendors will be out Saturday night. We did miss that. We will have two bands.
ASHLEY: So our local Madison 221 will be playing from 5 to 7. And then Illinois is Central’s Revel and Red.
GRETCHEN: Revel and Red!
ASHLEY: They’ll be playing from eight to midnight.
GRETCHEN: Wow. All right. Well, that is a jam-packed weekend. Definitely so, yes. Get your lederhosen, your beer, Yes, come on out. That is September 9th, 10th and 11th, of course, like right there in downtown, rather. Yes. Check out their Facebook page and look for Havana Oktoberfest to get all the most information there and get signed up for the race and all the fun stuff.
GRETCHEN: Ladies, thank you so much for being here. Thank you. Good luck. We’ll have you back next year to talk about the 50th.
ASHLEY: Yes, thank you.
GRETCHEN: Can’t wait. All right. Keep it right here. We’ll be right back.
