La Crosse's Oktoberfest kicks off Thursday morning with the Senior Breakfast and doesn't stop until Sunday evening.

Hannah Amundson, the Oktoberfest executive director, joined Ken Cooper on WIZM's La Crosse Talk to talk about it all, including what's new -- like buying beer with your wristband and Sunday's free admission -- plus what she loves about fest.

This is Amundson's third year as executive director. 

La Crosse's Oktoberfest kicks off Thursday morning with the Senior Breakfast and doesn't stop until Sunday evening.
Hannah Amundson, the Oktoberfest executive director, joined Ken Cooper on WIZM's La Crosse Talk to talk about it all, including what's new -- like buying beer with your wristband and Sunday's free admission -- plus what she loves about fest.
This is Amundson's third year as executive director.

WIZM's LaCrosse Talk. News and talk about the issues of the day for Western Wisconsin.

WIZM's LaCrosse Talk. News and talk about the issues of the day for Western Wisconsin.

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The talk of the town is La Crosse Talk with Mike Hayes. Catch all the best interviews from La Crosse Talk and Scott Robert Shaw's As I See It editorial.

The talk of the town is La Crosse Talk with Mike Hayes. Catch all the best interviews from La Crosse Talk and Scott Robert Shaw's As I See It editorial.

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La Crosse Oktoberfest exec. dir. Amundson talks new wristbands, no beer tickets and what she loves about fest

Two rounds of the La Crosse Oktoberfest family stops by the studio, as they get set to kickoff a fest weekend, including the Festmaster and Frau, plus Mrs. and Miss Oktoberfest. First round included Miss Oktoberfest, Savannah Horstman of Onalaska, and her Grenadiers, Marie and Cody Zimmermann. We learn of a unique major and future profession that Horstman wants to get into, now that she's graduated from UW-Milwaukee, plus what some of her priorities are with her role as Miss O. After that, Festmaster Mike Bakalars and Frau, his wife Bethany, plus Mrs. Oktoberfest, Kate Dunnum, who talked quick about being a cancer survivor.

Two rounds of the La Crosse Oktoberfest family stops by the studio, as they get set to kickoff a fest weekend, including the Festmaster and Frau, plus Mrs. and Miss Oktoberfest. First round included Miss Oktoberfest, Savannah Horstman of Onalaska, and her Grenadiers, Marie and Cody Zimmermann. We learn of a unique major and future profession that Horstman wants to get into, now that she's graduated from UW-Milwaukee, plus what some of her priorities are with her role as Miss O. After that, Festmaster Mike Bakalars and Frau, his wife Bethany, plus Mrs. Oktoberfest, Kate Dunnum, who talked quick about being a cancer survivor.

The La Crosse Oktoberfest Family in the WIZM studio

Willie Bittner joins La Crosse Talk telling us how he helped find this year's Oktoberfest medallion, along with his friend Kerry Pischke and the kids. 

It took seven clues to find it, which happened on Sunday. We talk about those clues and tried to pry some secrets out of Bittner on just how to decipher them, as this was the second time he's found the medallion — the first being back in 2013, atop Grandad Bluff. 

Willie Bittner joins La Crosse Talk telling us how he helped find this year's Oktoberfest medallion, along with his friend Kerry Pischke and the kids. 
It took seven clues to find it, which happened on Sunday. We talk about those clues and tried to pry some secrets out of Bittner on just how to decipher them, as this was the second time he's found the medallion — the first being back in 2013, atop Grandad Bluff.

Willie Bittner on finding the Oktoberfest medallion with his friend Kerry Pischke

Brad Quarberg and Brian Rude in the WIZM studio talking Oktoberfest past and present, including how the fest wasn't just started to sell beer, the popularity of the buttons, two women as parade marshals and members lost the past year.

Quarberg was the 2016 Oktoberfest Parade Marshall and the Oktoberfest Board President back in 2001. He was also chief editor and one of the authors of the book, The Fest of Times, a look back on 50 years of Oktoberfest from back in 2010.

Rude was the 2017 Festmaster and is also the former Wisconsin state Senate president — though we only talked politics during the break.

This is the third year Quarberg has joined to talk about the history of Oktoberfest. Some of the other topics we rehashed from those shows was the year the medallion was held hostage, the year Oktoberfest didn't have beer and how controversial it would be if we picked Mrs. O like we did in the past.

Also joining the show was co-host Ken Cooper and WIZM's Brad Williams.

Brad Quarberg and Brian Rude in the WIZM studio talking Oktoberfest past and present, including how the fest wasn't just started to sell beer, the popularity of the buttons, two women as parade marshals and members lost the past year.
Quarberg was the 2016 Oktoberfest Parade Marshall and the Oktoberfest Board President back in 2001. He was also chief editor and one of the authors of the book, The Fest of Times, a look back on 50 years of Oktoberfest from back in 2010.
Rude was the 2017 Festmaster and is also the former Wisconsin state Senate president — though we only talked politics during the break.
This is the third year Quarberg has joined to talk about the history of Oktoberfest. Some of the other topics we rehashed from those shows was the year the medallion was held hostage, the year Oktoberfest didn't have beer and how controversial it would be if we picked Mrs. O like we did in the past.
Also joining the show was co-host Ken Cooper and WIZM's Brad Williams.

La Crosse Oktoberfest exec. dir. Amundson talks new wristbands, no beer tickets and what she loves about fest

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