City to Designate Oct. 22 German-American Day

Thanks to Andrew Hetzler, Long Beach’s annual German Day Oktoberfest is gaining more recognition and popularity around the city as it enters its fifth year this weekend.

What began as a small gathering of friends and Long Beach residents who spent time at The Cabana on West Beech Street, has turned into an ever-growing event that the City of Long Beach will officially recognized at this year’s venue, at 12 p.m. on Oct. 22.

German Day features a number of traditional elements, including clothing, music, food and beer. By focusing on the family, Hetzler believes he has created something different from Irish Day, which many people believe is mainly about drinking alcohol.

“I would like to bring back the family-oriented event, different from Irish Day,” Hetzler said. “If kids are around, people are more likely to behave themselves.”

The event got its start when Cabana owner

Bob Johnson decided to host a German Day celebration in honor of community members with German heritage. He held the event the day after Irish Day in early October, and would keep the same tent up for both celebrations.

Hetzler helped organize the day and found German musicians, restaurateurs and beer brands to participate. Since its inception five years, the event has continued to grow.

Last year, Hetzler decided to wait a little longer after Irish Day to put on his event. He found that many people had partied enough at Irish Day and therefore would skip the following day’s festivities.

In contrast to Irish Day, Hetzler wants to keep the focus of his event on heritage and traditions. He has done the legwork to find out more about the history of German immigrants in Long Beach. Hetzler, who comes from a German and Irish background, found that there has long been a large German population in the beach town.

His father, William, Andrew’s father, said he is proud to see his son continue to show such a deep interest in furthering their German-American ancestry. “ It is especially important that the young generation recognizes the multiple contributions made by German-Americans to help make this country great,” he said.  

While children are encouraged to attend German Day, beer will flow all day at the event. However, the money earned from people enjoying German brews will go towards the Pediatric Cancer Foundation and the German-American Hall of Fame.

“I want to give back somehow,” Hetzler added. “We don’t just want to stuff our pockets. We hold this event for a reason.”

The city will recognize Hetzler’s hard work in organizing German Day and the event’s positive causes. City Council President Thomas Sofield Jr. will proclaim Oct. 22 "German-American Day" in Long Beach at this years event. Sofield will give a presentation and read an official proclamation.

Chris Curtain, an annual attendee, calls German Day one of the best days of the year. “It's a great event that brings the community together to celebrate German-American culture,” he said. “The people, music, dancing, food and drinks all help make it a really fun experience.”