Editing Frankenmuth, Michigan (section)

==Festivals==
*Oktoberfest: In 1990, Frankenmuth, also known as "Michigan's Little Bavaria," celebrated its first [[Oktoberfest]]. The Frankenmuth Oktoberfest celebrates [[Germans|German]] culture, heritage and love. Frankenmuth has a unique German heritage and culture. The Frankenmuth Oktoberfest strives to preserve and share the sights and sounds as well as the food and drink of the Munich Oktoberfest. The goal of the festival is to also retain and celebrate the local Bavarian heritage of the region.

:By official proclamation of Lord Mayor Christian Ude on behalf of the German Parliament and city of [[Munich]], Frankenmuth's Oktoberfest was declared in 1996 the first Oktoberfest to operate outside that city with the blessing of the original Oktoberfest.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/saginaw/index.ssf/2013/09/frankenmuths_oktoberfest_is_a.html|title=Frankenmuth's Oktoberfest is a recipe for fun with German music, dancing and beer|date=September 18, 2013|author=Yfat Yossifor|publisher=mLIVE}}</ref> The event was also moved at that time into September to coincide with the opening of the Munich event. Also, for the first time in its history, the world-famous [[Staatliches Hofbräuhaus in München|Hofbräuhaus]] brewery of Munich exported its beer to the United States. Local businessman Fred Schumacher, who later became president of Hofbräuhaus of America, handled the arrangements for getting the beer to Frankenmuth in time for the Oktoberfest.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.hofbrauhaus.us/history/ | title=History }}</ref> Frankenmuth's Oktoberfest is considered one of the most important and popular autumn festivals in the United States.
*Frankenmuth Bavarian Festival: This is Michigan's largest Bavarian heritage festival. Beginning in 1959, it is an annual summer celebration of Bavarian culture and values through food, drink, traditional activities and music.
*Frankenmuth SnowFest: Frankenmuth is also host to one of the top snow-sculpting events in [[North America]], Zehnder's SnowFest, which includes the United States Collegiate National Ice Carving Championships.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2012/01/zehnders_snowfest_2012_feature.htm|title=Snow and cold don't keep crowds from Zehnder's Snowfest 2012 in Frankenmuth on Sunday|date=January 29, 2012|first1=Orrin |last1=Shawl|newspaper=[[The Flint Journal]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701072111/http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2012/01/zehnders_snowfest_2012_feature.htm|archive-date=July 1, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
*Frankenmuth Fire Muster: For several years, on the last Saturday in July, the Great Lakes International Antique Fire Apparatus Association (GLIAFAA) holds their annual fire muster, complete with parade, at Heritage Park, displaying restored antique vintage fire trucks, along with several ambulances and police cars, for the public to view and learn a little about the vehicles, their time in active service, and how they came into the ownership of their preservationists, including several of the apparatus showing off their firefighting capabilities along the riverfront.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gliafaa.org/Frankenmuth-Muster.html|title=GLIAFAA Frankenmuth Fire Muster|access-date=April 4, 2019}}</ref>
*Frankenmuth Autofest: Held annually on the weekend following [[Labor Day]], Frankenmuth Autofest is a three-day [[car show]] that draws over 2,500 classic cars, including [[muscle car]]s and [[Street rod (car)|street rods]]. The first day features a [[block party]] on Main Street, with the vehicles on display in Heritage Park the following two days.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.frankenmuth.org/calendar/frankenmuth-auto-fest/2019-09-08/|title=Frankenmuth Auto Fest|access-date=September 20, 2019}}</ref> On the display days, a live [[disc jockey|DJ]] plays [[oldies]] music in the park, primarily focusing on [[rock and roll]] music of the 1950s and 1960s.
*Michigan's Big Country Fest: An event showcasing [[country music]] held the third week of October.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.frankenmuth.org/calendar/big-country-fest/2019-10-18/|title=Michigan's Big Country Fest|access-date=September 20, 2019}}</ref>
*Frankenmuth Dog Bowl and Balloons Over Bavarian Inn: Held on Memorial Day Weekend, this festival is billed as "the world's largest Olympic-style fest for dogs" and features dock and disc dog competitions, sheep herding demonstrations, agility competition, a pet costume contest and parade, a wiener dog race, and other events. In conjunction with Dog Bowl is Balloons Over Bavarian Inn, a competitive event for [[hot air balloons]] featuring balloon glow events each night and balloon flights each morning and evening of the festival.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.frankenmuth.org/calendar/dog-bowl/2020-05-22/|title=Frankenmuth Dog Bowl and Balloons Over Bavarian Inn|access-date=September 20, 2019}}</ref>