The big day for me this weekend was Saturday. Normally, a UT football game or a visit to a festival would each be an entire day's event, but Saturday, I did the unprecedented and went to the UT game in the afternoon, then followed up with an evening at Wurstfest. It was a long and way-fun day!
The UT game bordered on the ridiculous. It was 52-0 at halftime. Final was 66-14 (we took Vince Young out early in the 3rd quarter). Please note that going into that game, Kansas had the nation's #1 rushing defense and was #1 in the Big 12 in total defense. Das right - step back: the Horns are in the House. We clinched the Big 12 South with that victory, but we've got to stay focused for at least one more game this month. The Aggies would love to spoil our season, and we need to take them to the woodshed. I shall think about all things Rose-y after that! I don't believe in countin' yo chickens.
Due to the lack of suspense or emotional involvement in the game (I don't even know what a Jayhawk is), the real fun came at Wurstfest!
Wow, what a good time I had! When we got there, my friends had already been there for a couple of hours - so several pitchers had expired and my friends were unusually pumped about the ride on the ferris wheel they were lined up for. I'm going to go out on a limb and say the two facts are related.
We didn't manage to hit any of the rides, and we didn't come prepared with goofy hats, as many attendees did, but we did our best to jump into the swing of things quickly. We stood in line to get beer tickets, then stood in line to get food, then stood in line to get beer (do you sense a theme?), then finally made it to The Big Tent where the bands were playing and my friends had secured bench space (they'd long since finished with the ferris wheel by the time we got our food). The tent had a stage, lighting and benches set up in front of the stage and tables on the sides. It wasn't air conditioned, so the mass of humanity coupled with the daytime temps in the 80s, the lights, and the booze made the tent really hot. I found, though, that once you accept that you're going to be a sweaty mess and you stop saying out loud that it's hot, you forget about it.
The bands were a hoot. Two bands alternated: Die Fröhliche Dorfmusik and Die Schlauberger. The first band was actually from Germany. They were a big band with lederhosen outfits and a leader who spoke in this great accented English that just BEGGED you to do it, too. Oh yah??? Most of their songs were in German, so the only one of us who knew what they were singing was my friend Julia's boyfriend, David, who speaks German (props to you Dave), but it didn't matter. Seems you can sway and raise a beer stein (or plastic cup in this case) to a strong beat, regardless of language barrier.
The second band was (get this) from New York! Oompah from NY. Will the world ever make sense? They bill themselves as "The Alternative to Oompah" and what a trip they were! They were oompah, but with electric guitars and attitude. I didn't believe it either until I saw them, but they mixed in some non-oompah favs, such as Brown-eyed girl, some salsa, and some Beach Boys, so you never knew what song was coming next, and they were a blast. And the crowd loved it. I swear to God at one point, there were about 10 good-looking women up on stage, like these guys were GreenDay. Amazing what beer can do.
Both bands did this sort of "cheer" - I don't know if this is a Wurstfest thing or what, but everyone seemed to know what to do. They'd yell, "Ticky-tocky, ticky-tocky" and everyone would yell "Oy! Oy! Oy!" and either punch their fists or lift their glasses into the air on the oy's. They'd do it twice, and the German band would end it by saying, "Life is good!" After the first time it happened, you know I was I oy'ing like I'd been doing it all my life. When in Rome, people. The night also featured conga lines and Ninja moves - the last one was just me and my friends, though.
I shouldn't suggest it was all fun and games, though. There were injuries. No, not from the Ninja moves. It was the benches. They were very hard, and the swaying often took place from a seated position. My butt bones (those of you who have ever gone horseback riding know the ones I'm talking about) are, in fact, compromised. Sitting has been a calculated event the last two days. But hey man, you want to play, you gotta pay. Can't be a wuss.
4 comments:
The oy-oy-oy thing is a German drinking song thing...not just Wurstfest. They used to do that same thing up at the Walburg Merchantile outside of Georgetown when I was in school there.
Fun times, though, eh? Had Thursday night not completely drained the old wallet, I would have met you out there. But, no money and two kids by myself (Scott was in Conroe - his dad is in the hospital and hopefully coming home today or tomorrow) pretty much kept me away!
You would've fit right in with us - I wish you could've come! We're a festive bunch. :)
I'm glad to know where that oy-oy-oy thing comes from. You can tell I've spent a lot of time at German festivals, eh??
I hope Scott's dad is doing okay!
The chicken hats were in the Wursthalle - that big building with all the food - they were at the far end of the building from the big tent and the carnival. We got the Robin Hood looking hats for $7 - I thought that was a scam.
On further investigation, I think they're saying, "Zigge-Zagge, Zigge-Zagge, Hoi, Hoi, Hoi!" I like my version, though. :)
I only made it halfway into the Wursthalle, so that would explain why I didn't find the chicken hats. It was too hot! I thought I might have to go behind the counter myself and make my sausage-on-a-bun transaction happen! But I figured they were hotter than I was, so they were lucky to still be vertical.
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