Hickory’s Other Family Tree
Hickory has a pretty good excuse to break out the bratwurst! When Oktoberfest takes over downtown October 9–11, the German flavor comes with a hometown backstory that stretches all the way to the city’s beginnings.
From Germany to Hickory
The 39th annual Hickory Oktoberfest runs for three days, with festivities centered around Union Square and the surrounding streets. Friday runs from 5 to 11 p.m., with food vendors opening at noon, followed by a full Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
There will be plenty of the things Oktoberfest does best: live entertainment, beer tents, food and craft vendors, and KidsFest for the younger crowd. But Hickory has a better claim to the celebration than simply liking bratwurst in October.
Adolphus “Dolph” Shuford, a German immigrant, was one of Hickory’s co-founders, giving the city a German thread that reaches back to its beginnings. Generations later, that connection hasn’t been relegated to a historical marker. The Greater Hickory Metro maintains a region-to-region partnership with Altenburger Land, Germany, and the area is home to U.S. headquarters for several German companies.
That makes Oktoberfest something of a yearly reunion between Hickory’s past and present.
A Tradition That Still Has a Job
Plenty has changed since Hickory’s earliest days, including an economy that has grown far beyond the industries that once defined the region. Yet the German connection has found new ways to stick around through business relationships, international partnerships, and, every fall, one very visible weekend downtown.
That’s what gives the festival a little more substance beneath the foam. Those beer tents and music stages turn a piece of local history into something people can actually participate in, whether they know the Shuford story beforehand or learn it somewhere between lunch and the next band.
The steins may only stick around for three days, but Hickory’s German story has been brewing for generations.
Make plans for Hickory Oktoberfest and spend a weekend raising a glass to a piece of the city’s history that’s still very much alive.
Looking for more celebrations worth putting on the calendar? Check out https://www.guidetonc.com/festivals.
