(Brett Sayles / Pexels)
It’s about that time of year when shouts of “zigge zagge, zigge zagge, hoi hoi hoi!” would be heard echoing throughout Lincoln Square as tens of thousands of Chicagoans converge on the neighborhood during the annual three-day German American Oktoberfest, one of the capstones to the city’s summer festival season.
This year’s event, set for Sept. 11-13, would have marked the 100th anniversary of the German Day tradition, begun in 1920 to promote the German language, customs and songs.
The centennial will have to wait. Like nearly everything else in 2020, Oktoberfest has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
To soften the blow of the loss of the festival — and with it the rare chance to strap on the lederhosen — DANK Haus, the German American Cultural Center, is offering Oktoberfest in a Box, with all the fixings for a classic German feast: multiple types of sausages, sauerkraut, mustard, gherkins and spätzle. Just add beer, and BYO gemütlichkeit (German for friendliness, good cheer).
The box is among the options DANK has cooked up for curbside pickup this weekend, with orders due by end of day Wednesday (click here). Pickup is scheduled for noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at 4640 N. Western Ave.
The menu also includes pretzels, potato salad, bienenstich (custard-filled layer cake) and Leberkäse dinner, for those who really need their fix of German meatloaf.
DANK already lost $75,000 in revenue from food and beer sales, which supports its programming, when Maifest was canceled earlier in the year, the organization shared on Facebook.
The delayed 100th anniversary of Oktoberfest has been scheduled for Sept. 10-12, 2021. Knock wood. Or should we say: knackwurst.
Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]
