KENT, Ohio — The city of Kent is hosting a week-long Oktoberfest celebration despite the coronavirus pandemic.
Usually during Kent’s Oktoberfest, a few streets are blocked off for local vendors to set up shop. People would walk around with their official Oktoberfest mugs and play games like corn hole while live bands play in the background.
But this year, that’s not happening.
Portage County, where Kent is located, is under a Red Alert Level 3 — a designation from the state that indicates a high amount of COVID-19 spread. So instead of shutting down roads and having street vendors, local restaurants will be participating with festive food and drink.
Stacey Lasher and Carl Bauer are the owners of Grazers in downtown Kent. They are excited to be a part of Oktoberfest this year even though it might look a little different.
“We usually set up our food truck, and they set up a whole Ocktoberfest event, and there is special food and it is always so much fun, but we can’t do that this year,” said Lasher.
This year, festival-goers are encouraged to check out different businesses around the city. Many restaurants in Kent will be offering Oktoberfest-themed items. Grazers will be serving up butter beer — “Our butter beer. We worked with the recipe for a long time, and we’ve finally mastered it, and people say it’s even better than universal studios,” Lasher said.
When Kent resident Avery Holter heard that Oktoberfest was still happening in Kent, he knew he had to participate. His first stop of the week was Grazers for a butter beer.
“Things have been really different this year. It’s just nice to participate in an event that feels a little familiar,” Holter said.
Holter said he grew up in Northeast Ohio and has always looked forward to attending different festivals throughout the year.
“It’s a great way to see what different businesses have to offer and it’s also a support the local economy.”
Oktoberfest events will continue through the rest of the week in Kent.
For a list of participating restaurants you can go to www.mainstreetkent.org.
