Gemuetlichkeit Games

2008 Games will be held on Thursday, September 18 at noon on Fountain Square.

The Gemuetlichkeit Games take place at noon during the week prior to Oktoberfest, to build excitement and to get the community involved in the celebration.

A special attraction of the Games is the stein race; Mädchens fill steins, glasses or mugs with beer and attempt to run across Fountain Square without spilling any. This has its roots in an old Cincinnati German tradition in which contests were held to find out how many steins of beer could be held in each hand without spilling any of the beer.

The Games are often accompanied by German music and dance groups. Come on down and enjoy the fun!

• View 2007 German Games photos »

Event #1- The John Morrell "Running of the Wieners"
The dashing of Zinzinnati's most fleet-footed dachshunds in the John Morrell "Running Of The Wieners" event. The competition is open to the first 50 dachshunds to register and there is no cost to participate for the chance to be named the John Morrell "Running of the Wieners" Champion for Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati. Each dachshund will be outfitted in a John Morrell hot-dog bun costume for the highly anticipated competition. They run a course of approximately 50 feet in heats of five to determine the contestants for the final and determining heat.

Event #2- Beer Stein Race
Contestants race a short distance across Fountain Square with two fists full of filled beer steins. The winner is determined not only by the best time, but by the amount of beer left in the steins at the finish line. (A second is added onto the contestant’s time for each ounce of beer spilled.)

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