Oktoberfest is underway in Downtown Kitchener and there is plenty to see, do and eat. Louie Butko toured around town to get into the spirit.
The first thing he got to see was the preparation of the floats for the parade that takes place on Monday October 10th. The parade is 5km long and starts in Kitchener and ends in Waterloo. Some of the floats Louie got a look at has been in the parade for over 20 years, and this year there are also five new floats including Otis the Swan, a Hansel and Gretal float, and an Oktoberfest Puppy float. He also talked to the Cline Twins, who are the Parade Grand Marshalls.
Louie also learned how to make pretzels, and the significance of the shape, with David Notzold, from Grainharvest Breadhouse. During Oktoberfest 30,000 pretzels sold each year, and in Oktoberfest style, a large, oversized pretzel gets pulled by the hosts or other special guests, just like the wishbone of a turkey.
The last thing Louie learned about Oktoberfest was the history of the Glockenspiel Clock. It is the only one of its kind in Canada, and one of only a few left working in the world. The clock has been in Kitchener since 1976 when it arrived from Holland. It has 23 bells and features animatronic story of Snow White & The Seven Dwarves. It chimes on the hour and plays the full show three times a day- at 9am, noon & 5pm.
