BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Paul Dreyer was more than 1,700 miles from home.
But as he smiled under a Bike To Work Day baseball cap, the Colorado resident was experiencing a Rocky Mountain high.
On the opening night of Oktoberfest at SteelStacks on Friday night, Dreyer outlasted nine other competitors, including wife Amanda, to win a qualifying round of the Pennsylvania State Steinholding Championships.
“We’re here in Bethlehem visiting our niece who's a sophomore at Lehigh,” Dreyer said, after extending his right arm while holding a nearly one-liter mug of beer for four minutes, 22 seconds in the Bavarian strength contest.
“We got here about five minutes before the start of the competition and wondered what it was all about. So we decided to enter. Winning is great.”
A light drizzle did nothing to keep Oktoberfest lovers away from enjoying the first night of food, beer, live music and more.
Moms and dads were sipping and children were munching on brats and snack foods on a mild fall evening that kept bad weather at bay.
“This is the closest thing to the real Oktoberfest in Germany, It’s just a great time.”Angela Henry, Breiningsville
“This is just another example of why the Lehigh Valley is a great place to live,” said Mark Reynolds of Allentown. “Musikfest, the (Allentown) fair, this festival, the Chili Fest coming up.
“There’s always something great to do with the family.”
The German-themed festival will run through Sunday, then again Friday through Sunday, Oct. 11-13.
Sponsored by the Lehigh Valley International Airport, the free fall festival is in its 14th year.
Andrew and Angela Henry were dressed for the moment in Bavarian-centric attire. The Breiningsville couple each gripped a mug of beer and balanced a plate of German food as they headed for a table to dig in.
“This is the closest thing to the real Oktoberfest in Germany,” Angela said. “It’s just a great time.”
As The King’s Men of Bethlehem played yet another happy polka tune, Adam and Amanda Demetros sipped cold beers while their dog, Argos, stood guard.
“We’ve been coming here for 14 years,” said Adam, who lives in West Pittston, Luzerne County.
“The culture, the food, the drinks — it’s just a fun environment. I think Amanda and I have been coming here since the first year we met in college at East Stroudsburg.”
Among the new attractions at this year’s Oktoberfest is the human foosball tournament.
Each six-person team battled on a field that resembled a tabletop foosball game. All players except the goalkeeper were required to keep their hands on a swimming pool noodle that was able to slide left and right on a rope tied to a fence on either side of the playing surface.
An opening-round match featured a team named Kicking and Screaming and Drinking.
The competition proved to be just as entertaining.
Activities on Saturday include the Dragtoberfest competition, hosted by former Miss Gay Pennsylvania Elektra Fearce St. James, at 8:30 p.m., and wiener dog races.
Also on Saturday are culinary events, highlighted by The Taste of Austria dinner featuring liquor and wine imported from Austria paired with a four-course meal by Easton-based Imported Enrichment and Levy Restaurants.
The culinary event costs $84 per person and will be held in the Fowler Blast Furnace Room at 5 p.m.
Also on Saturday, ArtsQuest, Levy Restaurants and D.G. Yuengling & Sons will hold a four-course dinner paired with four Yuengling beers. Each guest receives a special Yuengling glass.
Dinner costs $69 per person, $129 per couple, and four seats for $249.
Also Sunday, the Yuengling Oktoberfest 5K will begin at 10:30 a.m. starting at the SteelStacks Campus.
Registration is $60 per person and includes a T-shirt, beer mug, race bibs and race medals for the first 1,000 registrants.
The bratwurst toss will be held at 5 p.m. Contestants will take turns tossing synthetic bratwurst with a partner, increasing distance from them with each throw.
A bratwurst-eating competition will be held on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
The object of the contest: Be the first person to consume 10 Karl Ehmer sausages; eaters must keep them down for two minutes after their last chew; The winner will receive $250 and a $100 gift card from Karl Ehmer.
As the Dreyers watched the human foosball tournament, Paul held his cup aloft and smiled.
“It’s not Coors,” he said, referencing the brewery based in Colorado. “But it's good — especially when you win.”
