Entertainment

Cheering Fest crowd is winning design for 2023 Oktoberfest button

Published

12 months ago

June 1, 2023

Oktoberfest may still be nearly four months in the future, but fest officials and supporters celebrated a bit early Thursday at the annual Forks and Corks fundraiser in La Crosse.

The audience was treated to the unveiling of this year’s Fest Button design, of a fellow on the festgrounds stage cheering on an Oktoberfest crowd. On the button, we see the man from behind, as he faces the festers.

Winning artist, Savannah Horstman, said the image was inspired by a photo on the Oktoberfest Facebook page, showing 2013 Festmaster Dave Ring overlooking a festground crowd.

“The theme was 2023, Come Fest With Me, so I wanted it to be very welcoming,” Horstman said. “It explains Fest in a button.”

Horstman added that this was her first attempt to design an Oktoberfest button and she didn’t expect to win the contest.

The 62nd Oktoberfest in La Crosse begins a three-day run Sept. 28.

Savannah Horstman, the designer of the 2023 Oktoberfest button.

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.