Happy Wanderers ready to entertain during Oktoberfest this week

The Happy Wanderers really live up to their band’s name.

Not only are they a genuinely pleasant duo, the authentic Bavarian, OomPah-Pah, Polka, beer/bier band gets wandering each year during Oktoberfest season throughout Ontario.

This week the good folks taking part in Oktoberfest Muskoka get to see the band do their thing beginning with the official kick-off party on Wednesday, October 18 at Sawdust City Brewing Co. in Gravenhurst.

The Happy Wanderers will be getting the party going from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission to the kick-off event is free, with those attending encouraged by the event organizers to “wear your Oktoberfest best and be ready to buy a Sagemehl Stadt and hoist a stein or two with friends.”

This week is also the last chance for the general public to catch a glimpse and a tune from The Happy Wanderers as their seasonal tour comes to an end.

The two current Happy Wanderers, Dieter Schuhmann on the accordion and Peter Neudorf on the saxophone, have been together for 40 years. Over those years, the band has three, four and five members (when they amalgamated with another band) and even changed the band name once before changing it back again.

Members have retired or passed on, but Deiter and Peter keep going strong four decades in.

“We’re only 45-years-old, so I don’t know how these numbers work,” jokes Dieter.

When the band first started, they played to largely German and European crowds, so most of their sets were comprised of traditional Polka music. However, with their two-piece band playing mostly craft beer locations, they have changed the set list to engage the masses.

“We play Polka songs that people know, and then shift into popular songs like Margaritaville or Brown Eyed Girl,” says Dieter. “Now it’s a different repertoire, we don’t just play German music and Waltzes.”

Of course, there is the obvious question those of us who grew up watching SCTV – either the first time around or in re-runs – has to ask: Did the Happy Wanderers name come from the famous skit of a polka duo featuring John Candy and Eugene Levy?

“I get that asked all the time,” says Dieter. “The answer is no . . . we had the name first before the SCTV skit. It was probably in the same year or two that Candy and Levy decided to use that name because it seems like a good name you can use for bands.”

He adds with a little good-natured kidding: “We’re the only band in Ontario that has Happy Wanderers. There is more in the states. No, we had that name and then they used it in their skits. But, no legal action, so we were all good. No issues.”

lots to see and do during OKTOBERFEST MUSKOKA

Most festival events run the weekend of October 20-22 at venues across Muskoka with the local Chambers of Commerce joining forces with local businesses to host the celebrations.

Norah Fountain of the Muskoka Lakes Chamber of Commerce is excited for the event and was helpful in getting Muskoka Unlimited an interview with Dieter.

She says the event, which follows the Bala Cranberry Festival, is another way to extend the busy tourism season during the fall.

“Not only does it encourage our seasonal residents to stay here longer, it also helps give employees in the tourism and hospitality industry more hours,” explains Fountain. “In turn, that helps encourage staff to come back for seasonal jobs next year.”

The event features three days of music, food, and signature Oktoberfest brews from Muskoka’s craft breweries, including Clear Lake Brewing, Sawdust Brewing, Muskoka Brewery and Lake of Bays Brewing.

Restaurants and other venues across Muskoka are offering live music from acoustic guitar in smaller restaurants to bands such as the Happy Wanderers, Mr. D and the Polka Kings and Heiner de Wilde Kaiser, originally from Cologne, Germany, who brings his accordion fun out to play.

“We want people to enjoy our communities at their best all year round and residents and visitors alike are guaranteed a good time at Oktoberfest,” says Kelly Haywood, Executive Director, Huntsville/Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce.

Learn more about the event at https://www.oktoberfestmuskoka.ca/