Fellowship

Hallo! Willkommen to our journey to Germany and the celebration of Oktoberfest! We transformed our Upper Hall to an Oktoberfest tent to join our hearts, minds, and voices in Fellowship on October 18th. A joyous time was had by all as we were serenaded by a strolling accordion player and feasted on German food. The Flying Deutschman food truck set-up in our parking lot so that revelers could order variations of schnitzel and bratwurst along with delicious side dishes of German potato salad, sauerkraut, red cabbage and more. Using my experience in Munich as inspiration, we created an appetizer table full of meats and cheeses, radishes, pickles, Bavarian pretzels, mustard and other delectables. Our member Irene Castagna grew up near Haegele’s German bakery in Philadelphia, so after taking a field trip there to taste test the delectables, we brought in their Black Forest cups, apple cake and bee cake for dessert. They were a highlight of our meal!

It wouldn’t be Oktoberfest without beer, so our resident beer expert, Jeff Herrera, curated a special collection for us to drink and provided an informative education as well. My right-hand man in all things fellowship, Geoff McConnell, provided a nice collection of German wines and also shared some information with us about his selection. I think all in attendance would agree that it was a full night with a variation of entertainment, but one of our favorite parts was the choir joining in voices around the microphone for an a capella version of Danke Schoen. Great job choir and extra volunteers! It was a memorable moment! John Eblacker is MC extraordinaire and led us in singing and games. Another highlight of the evening was John’s version of Oktoberfest Trivia where he kept us on our toes in high competition for the correct answers to our questions so that we could be the prize winners. I always love to see what a good game brings out in our guests’ spirits! The atmosphere wouldn’t have felt like Germany without the artistic expressions of Irene Castagna, who puts her heart and soul into creating visually interesting drawings and collages to highlight the theme. She took time to research and find pictures and words that highlight the meaning in Oktoberfest and things around Germany. You learn something when you look at Irene’s work as well as find humor and fun in the pictures she makes. Thank you, Irene! I always enjoy our annual adult fall dinner because it’s a different way of gathering than we do all year long.

Thank you to my team of volunteers that also included Pam Bennett, hostess extraordinaire, babysitters Sophie Gallo and Francesca Welsh, half-timbered house builder, Libby Eblacker, souvenir mug designer, Rev. Ben Capps, Will Sanders, charcuterie expert, dessert retriever, husband helper in all things, and all of the unsung heroes that fill-in when I’m not looking. It takes a team effort and without all of you it wouldn’t have been the fun event it was! Prost!

Julia Sanders