Bring on the potato salad, grill up those sausages, and break out those steins — Oktoberfest is upon us. Check out the video for a delicious chicken sausage recipe and see our top fall brews!
 

The first Oktoberfest
The German tradition of Oktoberfest started with a wedding party in October 1810. The wedding was that of Crown Prince Ludwig (later known as King Ludwig I) and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen, who graciously invited the citizens of Munich to join in the wedding reception celebration. It was a rousing success, lasting an impressive 16 days, and inspired the idea to repeat a similar festival at the same time the following year. Thus, a tradition was born.
 

Why Oktoberfest in Texas?
People of German heritage played an influential role in Texas' past. In fact, back in the mid-1800s, they were part of one of the largest ethnic groups in our state. Many settled in what's known today as the German Belt, an area in the south central part of the state running from the Coastal Plain (Houston) to the Hill Country (Fredericksburg).

You can still see the cultural impact today in the German names of many towns and the architecture found in a number of our older neighborhoods — from the gothic churches of the Texas Hill Country to the King William historic district of San Antonio, which was once the most affluent German neighborhood in the city.

So the next time you lift a stein in celebration of Oktoberfest, don't forget to include a bit of Texas in that toast.