Beer, Food & Fun at the GermanFest Picnic!

The Dayton Liederkranz know how to throw a party.   This year’s GermanFest Picnic, held  August 10th -12th was no exception.  The festival was hosted by the German Club, to promote and preserve German culture and traditions in the Miami Valley, and it was a playground for your favorite Dayton foodies, the Food Adventure Crew.   The 29th annual event included food, drink, kids areas,  and a 5k event.  Having German roots in both of our Food Adventure families, we appreciated the genealogy assistance area for help with your family tree

We strolled the grounds looking for craft beers and food booths.  We enjoyed tasting various German treats, after all it is our heritage.  Our favorite snack of the day was the Weinerschnitzel Sandwich, which is pretty much a fried pork cutlet.  The tasty treat was topped with onions, sauerkraut, mustard and more.  Some of our favorite beers offered included Paulaner, Widmer Brothers HefeWeizen, and Hofbrau Dunkel.

Food vendors also served authentic root beer, and local restaurant Smokin BBQ was in attendance.  Culp’s Cafe had a presence at the festival serving sweet potato fries and various burger options.  Ullery’s Ice Cream was making handmade ice cream on site.  There were numerous other food vendors and we took our time to explore each one.  Near some of the no-food vendor tents we even met the owner of  Miss Riley’s Cookies.  Her almond flavored, highly decorated cookies hit the spot!

Another attraction of this festival was the recognition of German influence on Dayton history.  Inside the Museum lobby, their were displays of Beer history around the Miami Valley as well as local author Curt Dalton who was displaying his historical novels about the Dayton area.

At each corner of Carillon Park we tried German Beers and a German Potato Sundae.  The cinnamon almond roasted nuts were fantastic, and the aroma from thje grilled Bavarian Pork Chops filled the entire festival.  From pretzels to dried sausages that tasted like beef jerky, the German Fest Picnic is a Food Adventure for the whole family.   The Big Ragu even received a massage at a vendor booth.  An Italian getting a massage from a Thai woman at a German festival.. only in Dayton.  Make sure you visit this annual event, just follow the lederhosen.

 Did you visit the 2012 GermanFest Picnic ?  What did you think?

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