OCTOBERFEST AT BLACK FOREST IS THIS WEEKEND

The eighth annual Octoberfest will be held Saturday and Sunday at Black Forest Villages.

More than 2,000 people are expected at the event. The festival will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The weekend will offer demonstrations such as basket weaving, broom making, pioneer furniture making, weaving, leathersmithing, quilting, blacksmithing, flintknapping and wood carving among other traditional crafts.

Bluegrass music performances also will be featured throughout the festival, and children can enjoy working their way through a straw bale maze.

"We give Octoberfest a fall harvest theme and decorate with cornstalks, pumpkins, gourds and straw bales to celebrate the harvest season," said manager Greg Macke. "It's an outdoor show, and we usually go rain or shine."

Food booths featuring kettle corn, grilled chicken, corn dogs, Polish sausage, funnel cakes and apple cider also will be in operation throughout the two-day event.

Entrance fees are $2 per person for the festival. Admission is free to children under the age of 12. Proceeds from the festival will go towards other festivals to be held at Black Forest Villages.

The site is four miles north of Cape Girardeau on County Road 638. From Highway 61 in Cape Girardeau, take Lexington Avenue to Route W, turn right at the stop sign and watch for signs.

For more information, phone Greg or Darla Macke at (573) 335-0899.