Over 100,000 people (my estimate) crowded into the mile-long expanse of Octoberfest along College Avenue in downtown Appleton on Saturday, September 30. In spite of some rain during the day, the crowds persisted. What brings so many people to Octoberfest? There's plenty of fun, lots of food, perhaps a little beer, games, entertainment, and many interesting people. Some actually come for the leading taste treat of the festival, the famous Tiger Paws sold as a fundraiser for the youth group of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed "Mormons"). Tiger Paws are a flat fried dough product with plenty of sugar and cinnamon. In fact, the Mormons got in trouble with the authorities because the crowd in front of the popular Tiger Paws booth was so big that it was blocking traffic. We were cranking them out as fast as we could, but the demand was just too high to keep the lines short.

Here are some photos from Octoberfest.