Staff photo by Clay Schuldt A large crowd visited the August Schell brewery on Saturday to celebrate the second weekend of Oktoberfest in New Ulm. Organizers estimate nearly 3,000 people visited the brewery grounds.

NEW ULM — The gates to Schell’s Brewery opened at exactly 10:30 a.m. to start the final day of New Ulm’s Oktoberfest 2021 celebration.

It was a return to traditional Oktoberfest celebrations after the necessary restrictions put in place last year by the pandemic. In 2020, only 250 guests were allowed at Schell’s for a pre-sale ticket event. This year, there was no guest restriction.

Over 250 people were waiting in line to get into Schell’s when the gate opened. Over 1,000 people visited the Brewery within the first 90 minutes. By the end of the day, staff estimated close to 3,000 people visited Schell’s.

The first person in line was Chad Meinert from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Meinert said last year was the only time he missed a Schell’s Oktoberfest. His dedication to Schell’s runs deep. Meinert even has Schell’s logo tattooed on his left arm. The reopening of the brewing during Oktoberfest was important to him. He was waiting in line 90 minutes before the gate open.

The musical entertainment began in line. Janet and Eric Heukeshoven of Winona played flute and accordion in line while people waited to get into the brewery. The Heukeshoven had previously played in line at Oktoberfest six years ago. They auditioned for the Marti family years ago and were brought back to provide extra entertainment.

Schell’s Oktoberfest is a family tradition for many. Aaron Meier of Fairmont brought his family, including his children Garret and Sloane, to see the brewery. The entire family dressed up in their Oktoberfest best. Meier said three years ago he was stationed overseas in Germany during Oktoberfest.

Now that he was back stateside, he wanted to show his family the traditional Oktoberfest. When he learned about New Ulm’s celebration he said they had to visit.

The Johnson family also returned, bringing 5-year-old Leland Johnson to Schell’s in a new pair of lederhosen. Except for 2020, young Leland has not missed an Oktoberfest since he was born. This year he was joined by his 15-month-old sister Sloane Johnson. She visited the brewery in her first dirndl. Her favorite part of the visit was the music and pretzels.

Schell’s was even visited by their competition. Laura Mullen, co-founder of Bent Paddle Brewing of Duluth came to Schell’s. It was her first Oktoberfest in New Ulm, but she previously attended Bockfest.

Mullen was here to support Schell’s. She said Minnesota breweries work in “coopertition.” Through a healthy balance of cooperation and competition, all breweries can benefit.

The Oktoberfest celebration continued at the Best Western Plus. The Concord Singer took the stage Saturday afternoon and attracted a large crowd.

Andrew Miller of the Concord Singers said the Saturday afternoon crowd was the best they’ve seen in 20 years.

Leon Olsen and Dain’s Dutchmen also played in the afternoon and were followed by a second performance from the Concord Singers.

The Bucholz family of Harrisburg, South Dakota were also in attendance this year. The Bucholz family has been visiting Oktoberfest for 30 years. One of the youngest members of the Bucholz family, 13-year-old Reagan Bucholz has attended Oktoberfest every year of her life and is a fan of the festival.

“I love that this event brings people together from all over,” Reagan said. She appreciated the chance for people to bond through German traditions.

The Bockfest Boys closed out the musical entertainment for the evening. One of the biggest changes from last year’s Oktoberfest is COVID restrictions no longer prevented attendees from dancing. The dance floor was full by the time Bockfest Boys took the stage.

Best Western Plus General Manager Erin Lafferty said the Oktoberfest finale was a little quieter than some years, but it was still exciting to see everyone return after last year.