Page 16 - Cullman Oktoberfest 2021

Enter Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church was established in 1877, only four years after the settlement and three years after the incorporation of Cullman. In 1977, the church celebrated its first hundred years in the wake of the city’s centennial while interest in all things German was still running high.
The one-day celebration, held in June of that year, was labeled a “German Festival” and featured an array of German foods (and American specialties like hamburgers for those with simpler tastes), banners decorating city streets, a poster contest for children at Sacred Heart School, and Oktoberfest-style booths with carnival games. The event was successful enough to bear repeating, and became an annual fundraiser for the school.
In 1982, the Cullman Downtown Merchants Association joined with Sacred Heart to create a week- long fall celebration that culminated in the school’s fundraising event. In that year, the “German Festival” became Oktoberfest, with one small difference from its Bavarian counterpart.
There was no beer.
Dry Oktoberfest?
It’s true. In Cullman’s early days, the city and county had their fill of beer, wine, and liquor. The city had saloons and brewers with their own recipes. To the north, Vinemont got its name from its wine-producing vineyards, and John Cullmann himself organized the Wine Company of Cullman. The area was known especially for its sweet wines.
All that changed in the 1930’s when, led by cultural shifts and Baptist ministers, citizens voted Cullman County dry. In 1982, the city’s first official Oktoberfest featured the tapping of the ROOT beer barrel, a tradition that continues to this day. Along the way, Cullmanites would also sip “Octoberzest,” a custom- brewed non-alcoholic apple cider. Some think that the dry celebration may have been the only official Oktoberfest in the world with no beer; carnival
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