Kicking off the Dance Season @ Augustoberfest!
With a successful Gaufest behind us, and new memories popping up on social media at every turn, it’s natural for dancers—and the clubs in general—to feel a little nostalgic. It makes us all want to dance again. Luckily, August is that beautiful time of year when every weekend fills up with new locations and new faces discovering this culture. On one of those gorgeous August weekends, the German Hungarians made their first stop of festival season in Boonsboro, Maryland, for the annual Augustoberfest.
Three large pavilions, dozens of canopies and tents, plenty of vendors, and food trucks filled the otherwise quiet farmland in northern Maryland. It was a beautiful weekend of dancing for the club, featuring music from two of the greatest bands in the land: Heimatklänge and die Schlauberger! Saturday kicked off with the classic Schuhplattler and Volkstänze we know and love, followed by some of HK’s best hits. It was even pointed out that they played songs not heard in years. Like riding a bike, you never forget the notes to a good tune!
As the day grew hotter, it was time to tap the ceremonial keg, cry out “O’zapft is!” and officially begin the festivities. We joined the crowd for the Fliegerlied, they joined us for an Auftanz, and later showed off their own abilities in a competition to see which energetic gentleman could perform the best Reit im Winkl.
Once our sets wrapped up and HK bid “Auf Wiedersehn” for the night, die Schlauberger took the stage with a medley of upbeat German favorites—plus a little Margaritaville, a sprinkle of Johnny Cash, and more. During their break, the stein-holding competition drew the crowd into the center of the pavilions to see whose arms could hold out the longest, while the masses cheered them on—drinks in hand, but with a bit less endurance than the competitors.
By the end of the night, the club and the bands returned to the hotel, where the camaraderie continued with a small afterparty on the patio, complete with snacks, drinks, and plenty of our own music.
Sunday morning arrived, and the tired early risers went searching for coffee at one of the Augustoberfest stands—only to discover that the traveling coffee shop once belonged to Kathleen Martini, a fellow Trachtlerin who had used it for her Cuyahoga Coffee Company. To see that this vehicle had made its way to Maryland was a reminder of just how small the world can be—and how easily dancing connects us wherever we go.
A few final sets closed out the weekend, and then, all too soon, it was time to head back toward Philadelphia—grateful for an incredible start to festival season, and knowing that plenty more still lies ahead.
By Evan Wolz
