Entertainment

Fest button designer for 2019 is four-time champion

Published

5 years ago

March 14, 2019

Oktoberfest button designer Mary Schill (left) poses with her design, along with current Festmaster Mike Keil and Frau Karen Keil

The designer of the new Oktoberfest button is an old hand at the button business.

Mary Schill has won the button design contest for the fourth time, dating back to 2001.

Schill first became interested in drawing a fest button years before that, when she was an art student at UW-L, and wanted to participate in Oktoberfest.

The 2019 design features the Oktoberfest chalet at the festgrounds, a large maple leaf, a dancing couple, and the outline of the state of Wisconsin.

The button was unveiled publicly last night at the annual Forks and Corks fundraiser for the Gemutlichkeit Foundation.

Oktoberfest will be held during the last weekend of September.

Brad Williams

A native of Prairie du Chien, Brad graduated from UW - La Crosse and has worked in radio news for more than 30 years, mostly in the La Crosse area. He regularly covers local courts and city and county government. Brad produces the features "Yesterday in La Crosse" and "What's Buried on Brad's Desk." He also writes the website "Triviazoids," which finds odd connections between events that happen on a certain date, and he writes and performs with the local comedy group Heart of La Crosse. Brad been featured on several national TV programs because of his memory skills.