If
you are like me, this time of year tends to puts you into the mood to
attend fall festivals and events. A lot of these events tend to be
centered on German-inspired foods, beers, contests and live
entertainment. On
October 8th,
we were given two complementary VIP
package tickets
to Oktoberfest Live! presented
by Leinenkugel's KC at the Kansas
City Live! Block in
the Kansas City Power and Light District.
The
events
of
the day,
started in the morning
with Sprint Family Fun Days in the Kansas
City Power & Light District, which
included:
trick-or-treating, pony rides, barnyard petting zoo, a bounce houses,
and other live entertainment.
In
the afternoon, things
started
to
transition into
Oktoberfest
Live! activities that
included:
a Wiener
Dog Race, tapping of
a
golden keg, German folk music.
There
were
multiple
contests that
took place
throughout the afternoon, including:
Pretzel eating, hammerschlagen, stein stance, sauerkraut eating, and
log lifting.
Everyone
had multiple ways to enjoy the afternoon at the Kansas City Live!
Block, starting with beer tasting session that lasted from 4 – 7
pm. Participants received a tasting glass and card that allowed them
to visit the three tasting tents from 4 – 7 pm. to redeem five
samples of their choice.
Next
you could purchase tickets for one of the two VIP sessions from 4 –
6 pm or 7 – 9 pm. Both sessions got
exclusive access to
Leinenkugel’s patio and bar during the session, along
with two
Leinenkugel’s 16 ounce beers, a fish fry, gourmet pretzels
and a swag bag. Our swag included the bag with a
bottle opener, sunglasses, plastic beer mug, $15
gift card, and 5
Leinie Coins good
during for Mon – Fri
happy hours.
If
you were looking to stay throughout the whole event from 4 – 11 pm,
you could purchase the a Das Boot Community Table. This package
included a table for ten along with five pitchers for Miller Lite or
Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest beer, ten commemorative “das boot”
glassware, table service and Leinenkugel's swag.
Without
knowing how many people would be attending this event, we thought it
might be a good idea to show up earlier to the Power and Light
District. We arrived just as the Sprint Fun Days were wrapping up
around 3 pm, and just as the German band was getting started. We
seated
in the Leinenkugel's KC
patio area
where we had a clear view
of the events taking place on the main stage, during
our VIP session. We were
given two
Leinenkugel's beers as
part of the package and we
were also treated to a buffet where most of us in the patio area went
back for extra helpings of fish, fries, and pretzels.
The
“Festhaus-Musikanten” German folk band set the mood, for everyone
who lined up to participate in contests. The “hammerschlagen”
game was fun to watch, and I had to look-up the rules of this game to get
a better understanding of what was happening. Then there was the beer
stance game, which is exactly as you've seen at other German fests.
Each participant is given a liter mug full of beer, and the object is
to hold it in the air for as long as you can without spilling a drop.
Also,
during the games and music, you could sample beers from the tents
setup for the tasting session. They had several beers to choose from,
and we were given a tasting ticket allowing each of us to get five
separate 2 oz pours of beer. The lines were short for all of the
beers, and we tried all of the Leinenkugel's beer they were offering.
This
was the inaugural year for Oktoberfest Live!, and from our point of
view everything seemed to
go smoothly
and without
any noticeable incidents. Overall,
this was a great experience for us and we certainly look forward to
attending the
next
Oktoberfest Live! event at the Power & Light District. The
VIP session was definitely worth the price and it definitely gave us
a taste of how they do Oktoberfests
in Wisconsin.
The
atmosphere was
fantastic and very inviting, and
we
were very impressed with the food, beers, and service.
