JAKE DE PAUL: BEER >>>

Beer! Lederhosen! Beer! Bratwurst! Beer! Yodeling! Beer! Yo-Yo Man! Beer! Oktoberfest Northwest has all of these fine things, but, most importantly, it has beer.

The official opening ceremony and Tapping of the Oktoberfest Firkin by the 2008 Festmaster will take place Friday, Oct. 3 at 6:20 p.m.  Incoming 2008 Festmaster Greg Meier will toast the entire crowd and then swing a mallet into the firkin (a large wooden keg), causing the Firkin of Oktoberfest beer to pour out to signify the official beginning of the 2008 Oktoberfest Northwest.  Although, beer will be served starting at 11 a.m. Friday.

Other event highlights include a large Biergarten entertainment hall with national and international German bands and entertainers, authentic German cuisine, the German Corner gift section, the Miss Oktoberfest Northwest Swing Girl and the Hammerschlagen Tournament.

And don’t forget to wash all that German food down with … well, you know, beer!

[Puyallup Fairgrounds, Oct. 3-4 11 a.m. to midnight, Oct. 5 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., free Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., $8 after 3 p.m., $8 Saturday, $4 Sunday, inside the Americraft ShowPlex, Ninth and Meridian, Puyallup, 425.283.5050]