Texarkana celebrated German culture Saturday with a family-friendly Oktoberfest downtown, featuring food, drinks, and lively entertainment.
The free Main Street Texarkana event ran from 4 to 9 p.m. and included German-inspired eats, local craft beers, and even miniature beer donkeys that carried drinks through the crowd.
Main Street Executive Director Ina McDowell said the festival helped raise awareness and support for downtown revitalization.
“The event is to support the renovation and revitalization of downtown Texarkana through the Main Street program,” McDowell said. “We had lots of volunteers come out to make this a great event for Texarkana and for downtown. We had Beer Olympics, the Four States Fermenters with great craft beers to taste, and of course, beer donkeys serving beer.”
The donkeys also served as a nod to a vintage Texarkana postcard showing a man and his donkey standing on State Line Avenue in front of the U.S. Post Office.
Oktoberfest originated in Munich, Germany, in October 1810 to celebrate the marriage of the Crown Prince of Bavaria to his princess. The first festival lasted five days and has since become a worldwide tradition celebrating German food, drink, and community.