Oktoberfest Famers' Market

 We went to the Pumpkin Weighing at the Oktoberfest because we thought it would be cool to see giant pumpkins, but the boys were bored after approximately a minute and a half.  On our way back to the car, we went down to the Farmers' Market, which was really cool.  DoodleBugs had a kids tent, so Mattie and James got to make visors, and Mattie had a tiger painted on his hand.  Then we had some ice cream and walked along the path near the waterfall.

We came back in the afternoon and did the hayride (very nice, past the scenic old train depot, complete with a delicious cup of cold cider) and scarecrow-making, and then went to Island Park for the playground.  They had German music, beer, and food there as well -- Mattie loved the spaetzle, and Mike and I had a great chicken schnitzel sandwich (James liked the pretzel with cheese).

I was excited for the "Big Chicken Dance" because I envisioned a park full of people all chicken-dancing.  Alas, my enthusiasm was not shared -- the "big" chicken dance was perhaps 25 people.  Ah well, at least we introduced Mattie and James to this important cultural tradition.  :)