Music, bratwurst and plenty of “prost” filled the air during Ompahfest on Sept. 21, when the annual German-American celebration took over Plattdeutsche Park Restaurant in Franklin Square.
Ompahfest, which differs from the 16-day-long observance of Oktoberfest, is a one-day celebration of German-American heritage, culture and tradition. The annual festival gets its name from its use of “oompah” music, a Bavarian-style folk music with an emphasis on brass.
This year’s festival, hosted from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., featured classic German food favorites such as bratwurst, frankfurters, Bavarian pretzels with beer cheese, leberkase, German potato salad, potato pancakes with applesauce, and farmer’s sausage.
Many guests donned traditional German garments — the men in lederhosen and women in Dirndls — and shopped local vendors selling imported German goods such as beer steins, jewelry and various crafts.
Guests also participated in festive raffles, games and activities throughout the day, often raising a toast with beers in hand as the Oktoberfest anthem “Ein Prosit” filled the courtyard.
Across the Biergarten, music groups from Long Island and Germany took to the restaurant’s bandstands and performed lively sets of classic polka tunes — an energetic genre of music combining European folk from various regions and local American influences. Band members played clarinets, trumpets, flutes, tubas, accordions, drums and guitars with fervor as guests of all different ages danced, cheered and clapped along.
Performers this year included Bavarski, the Austrian Boys, Johnny Koening, die Spitzbuam, Foehrer Musik and Freunde.
For more information about future events at Plattdeutsche Park, including upcoming Oktoberfest celebrations, visit ParkRestaurant.com.
