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Summer's Last Chance to Dine, Drink & Dance!

BEREA, Ohio (June 4, 2011) – If you're ready to rage against the dying light of summer, you need to look no further than Northeast Ohioís annual end-of-the-summer party, the Seventh Annual Cleveland Oktoberfest being held Friday, September 2 through Monday, September 5, 2011, at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, in Berea.

Northeast Ohioís traditional Labor Day festival of oompah bands, brats and beer will again feature a concert spectacular under the theme, A Night in Vienna, by Carl Topilow and the Cleveland Pops. Performing the works of world-famous Viennese composers such as Mozart, Richard and Johann Strauss, The Cleveland Pops Orchestra will be accompanied by waltzing Austrian dancers from Gottscheer Tanz Und Spielkreis in full ballroom dress. The performance is scheduled for Sunday, September 4, at 7:00 p.m.

Though the emphasis of an Oktoberfest is always on Bavarian food and culture, the Cleveland Oktoberfest is unique in that it is also a celebration of our city's rich ethnic diversity, as expressed through food, art, music and dance.

The William F. Miller International Pavilion will feature ethnic performers representative 25 countries, including Germany, Greece, Hungary, Scotland, Poland, China, Russia, and more!

The Cleveland Labor Day Oktoberfest is a holiday family tradition, attracting a diversity of fun-lovers from every walk of life, while offering an exciting menu of activities and entertainment to delight young and old alike.

The event is produced by the Berea Oktoberfest, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that works with local and civic organizations that provide volunteers for events like the Oktoberfest, with proceeds going to those organizations.

Along with the Cleveland Pops, other highlights of this yearís Oktoberfest include:

• Chef John Roberto, Official Oktoberfest Chef, will serve up a variety of Bavarian delicacies, and will also host a clambake to usher in the fall season. Also featured will be Cleveland's own Der Braumeister (voted Best German Restaurant by Scene Magazine), Balaton of Shaker Square (voted Best Hungarian Restaurant by Scene), Seven Roses, Din & Dem Sum (voted One of the Top Restaurants Cleveland Can't Do Without), Frank's Bratwurst (voted Best Brats by Scene), Chef's Choice Meats Gourmet Market (voted Cleveland's Best Sausage), and the famous Schmidt's Restaurant & Sausage Haus of Columbus.
• The Best Oktoberfest Microbrew Competition, held in the Bier Garden, will feature 16 brewers from Cleveland, Akron, Columbus, and Chicago, including local favorites like Great Lakes, Fat Heads, Rocky River Brewing Company, Willoughby Brewing Company, Buckeye Bier Engine, and more! The competition features both a professionally judged multi-category event Friday, and a People's Choice which will be tallied and awarded Monday.
• Contests will include the Sugardale Wiener Dog Races, the "Masskrugstemmen" (Bavarian Strong Man & Woman Competition), a Cornhole Tournament, and the Hermes 5K Charity Bier Run, and 1 Mile Walk. The race draws over 500 runners annually, with awards presented in various age categories, and proceeds benefit the Alzheimer's Association.
• Traditional German music by famed musicians such as Grammy nominee, Hank Haller, Grammy nominee, Alex Meixner, The Joe Wendel Orchestra, The Chardon Polka Band, the Fred Ziwich International Sound Machine, the Dan Zola Big Swing Band, and Deutcher Musik Verein. And for the Rock 'n Rollers out there, we'll feature local favorites Stone Pony, the Spazmatics, Disco Inferno and Cleveland's Breakfast Club. Throughout the weekend, there will also be roving performers on the midway, like the always raucous Bier Band from Cincinnati, The Chardon Polka Band, and the Alpine All-Stars.
• Other Oktoberfest favorites include world champion sand sculptor Carl Jara, and our live Glockenspielóa gigantic two-story working cuckoo clock with dancers who perform hilarious irreverent dances on the hour, always punctuating their performance by showering souvenirs on the crowd.
• The Educational Pavilion will feature a display of award winning gingerbread houses, an historical exhibit by Euclid Beach Park, genealogy classes from the Western Reserve Historical Society, as well as an opportunity to record your own family history, polka lessons, wine tastings, beer and food pairing classes, a VW bus presentation, home brewing and cooking demonstrations, and much more!
• Shoppers and collectors will find an authentic selection of high quality merchandise in our Bavarian Bazaar, as well as a diverse assortment of fine art in our Art Marketóa show and sale featuring the works of more than 50 local artists. Car enthusiast will enjoy our Classic & Antique Car Show as well as our display of over 30 vintage Volkswagon buses.
• Our Childrenís Area will feature myriad activities for kidsófrom chalk art, to inflatable bouncers, a bubble pool, horse-drawn hayrides, Otto the Wiener Dog and other mascots, gingerbread house building workshops, a Euro bungee, face painting, the Frisch Marionette Show, sand castle building, and loads more!

Admission to the Cleveland Labor Day Oktoberfest is $10 each day of the festival with children 12 and under admitted free. A $25 All Access Pass will also be available. Parking will be FREE throughout the event.

For complete information and updates, including information about where to obtain $2 discount vouchers and other discount passes, visit www.clevelandoktoberfest.com. 

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Cleveland Labor Day Oktoberfest At a Glance

For additional media information, please contact:
Candyce R. Traci, All Media Design Group
835 Sharon Drive/Suite 300
Westlake, Ohio† 44145
440-250-8600
440-835-1813 (Fax)
candyce@allmediadesign.net

Click here to purchase advance tickets on-line.

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