by Jeff Pederson
for The Beacon

THE 3 SHEEPS BREWING BEER OLYMPICS will return to the Sheboygan Falls Lions Club-Kohler Police Athletic League Oktoberfest event on Saturday, Sept. 11 at River Park in Sheboygan Falls.
Falls News
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Jeff Pederson

After a year of dormancy due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be business as usual for the Sheboygan Falls Lions Club and Kohler Police Athletic League as  the two nearby community service organizations will once again join forces to stage the ninth annual Oktoberfest event Friday, Sept. 10 and Saturday, Sept. 11 at River Park in downtown Sheboygan Falls.

The return engagement of the Lions Club-KPAL Oktoberfest event will once again showcase two days of German-themed food, music, games and fun.

The traditional and highly popular Oktoberfest events and activities from past incarnations will return to the fold this year, including the 3 Sheeps Beer Olympics, Michelob Ultra-Larry’s Distributing 5K Bier Run Run/Walk, HTT Cornhole Bean Bag Challenge, Friday night fish fry and German Fest, featuring authentic German-themed music and food.

The entertainment portion of the weekend will begin with a bang with The Toys Revisited hitting the Oktoberfest main event tent stage for their only area appearance of the year on Friday, Sept. 10 from 8:30-11:30 p.m.

“The Toys Revisited features all of the original members of The Toys back from when they formed 25 years ago,” Sheboygan Falls Lions Club President Jeff Romanoski said. “In 2019, they got the original band back together and we are privileged to have them with us this year to do all of the classics.

“This is the only show The Toys Revisited will be doing in our area this year, so it will be a very special night at Oktoberfest,” he said.

Also performing on Friday, Sept. 10 will be Copper Box, which will be playing Oktoberfest for the second time from 5-8 p.m.

Saturday night’s headliner is Boogie and the Yo-yo’z, which is slated to make its second consecutive Oktoberfest appearance from 8:30-11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11.

Described as a pop, country and rock band rolled into one, Boogie and the Yo-yo’z offers the ability to appeal to all musical tastes.

Boasting a three-piece horn section and multiple lead and backing vocalists, Boogie and the Yo-yo’z earned the 2016 WAMI Cover Band of the Year Award.

Romanoski is pleased to have the Appleton-based band, which has been one of the top regional acts since forming in 1995, performing at Oktoberfest for the first time this year.

“Boogie and the Yo-yo’z were a big success when they played at Oktoberfest in 2019 and it is great to have them back with us,” Romanoski said. “They are a big-name cover band in the region and everyone that comes to Oktoberfest on Saturday night is in for something special.”

Spitfire Rodeo is set to serve as the lead-in act for Boogie and the Yo-yo’z from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11.

The 3 Sheeps Brewing Beer Olympics, which will start at 12:30 p.m. with registration at noon on Saturday, Sept. 11, will feature two rounds of competition (preliminary qualification and single-elimination championship) in five different events, including beer pong, flip cup, cornhole, beer cup stack and quarters.

All registered teams will compete in each Beer Olympics event for a predetermined amount of time to score the most points.

Immediately following the qualification round, the top eight teams will be seeded into a single-elimination bracket to determine a champion.

Beer Olympics teams will consist of four individuals with co-ed teams encouraged, but not required. All participants must by age 21 or older on the day of the event. The entry free is $40 per team.

The first place team will receive a $150 in cash and $50 in Oktoberfest food and beverage tickets. The second place team will earn a $100 in cash and $50 in Oktoberfest food and beverage tickets and the third place team will collect $50 in cash and $20 in Oktoberfest food and beverage tickets.

To register a team, visit kohlerfallsoktoberfest.com or contact Ryan Romanoski at romeyr77@gmail.com

“This year we will again have 3 Sheeps Brewing sponsoring the Beer Olympics,” Romanoski said. “We changed to four-person teams a few years ago and found it to be easier for people to enter teams.”

The ninth annual HTT Cornhole Bean Bag Challenge returns starting at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11, with registration beginning at noon.

The tournament, which will follow the rules established by the American Cornhole Association (ACA), will operate as a doubles event with a double elimination bracket and all teams guaranteed a minimum of two games. Teams may consist of co-ed or unisex players.

Registration will be limited to the first 32 teams with paid entries.

The entry fee is $20 through Saturday, Sept. 4 and $30 through the day of the event.

The first place team will receive a $100 cash prize. Second place will receive $75 and $50 will go to the third-place team.

To register, visit kohlerfallsoktoberfest.com

The ninth annual 5K, 3.1 mile Michelob Ultra-Larry’s Distributing 5K Bier Run/Walk will take place on Saturday, Sept. 11, at 11 a.m. with registration at 10:30 a.m.

Participants will complete a 5K route and will be required to participate in three mandatory beer stops along the course. Water will also be made available to runners and walkers.

At noon, a grand prize will be awarded to the overall first-place finisher, while six random prizes will be awarded by drawing of bib numbers. Participants need to be present to win.

Due to the bier run theme, all run/walk participants must be 21 years of age or older. The event will be capped at 200 participants.

The registration fee is $25 through Monday, Sept 6 and $30 after Sept. 9 and through the day of the event. Pre-registration is encouraged on the Oktoberfest website, which can be accessed at kohlerfallsoktoberfest.com.

A German Fest program, featuring a variety of authentic food, drinks and musical selections  will run from 5-8 p.m. on Friday and from noon. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Plymouth High School’s German band Junge Kameraden will perform German music in the main tent at noon.

The Plymouth High School “Junge Kameraden” is the only authentic, continuous high School German Blaskapelle in the United States. The group has been in existence for over 35 years. The ensemble performs at a variety of public and private functions. Authentic instrumentation, including flugel horns, alto horns, Austrian oval tenor horns and barytons, and accordion are used as well as every other wind band instrument. Traditional leiderhosen and dirndls are worn by the musicians.

The Waltzmeisters with Jeff Behrens will perform German music in the main tent at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

The wildly popular Friday night fish fry returns for the fifth  year in a row beginning at 4 p.m. and running until 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 10, in conjunction with German Fest food and happy hour, which runs from 4-6 p.m. in the main tent.

“We will again be having German food on Friday night, as well as Saturday,” Romanoski said. “People have asked us to have German food available throughout the event, so we will have that this year.”

Entry to the main tent will be $1 for those 21 and older with all money collected going to support Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee.

“This will be the seventh year that we’ve had the $1 entry fee to the main tent to support Children’s Hospital,” Romanoski said.

For the younger crowd, kids’ inflatables sponsored by Culver’s will be open on Saturday only from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Lions Club uses the money raise at Oktoberfest to support a number of worthwhile community causes.