Cache Valley Oktoberfest entertains for a good cause

Most high schools maintain a quiet atmosphere after school is done for the day. At Logan High School however, those quiet hours recently were disrupted by the sound of brass instruments and traditional Bavarian folk-songs.

Study abroad opportunities for local high school students are expanding due to the eighth annual Cache Valley Oktoberfest fundraiser that took place at 4 p.m. Thursday. The event offered food, games and an oompah band to a diverse audience at Logan High School.

The exchange programs are valley-wide through a network of other high schools in Logan and Cache County.

Mike Mudrow, a German teacher at Logan High School and an organizer for the event, is planning a trip to Germany this summer.

"The students typically spend three to four weeks living in Germany with German families," Mudrow said. "They often come back from the experience with a greater understanding for American culture and values."

Each school provides different opportunities for students interested in an exchange program.

"Each exchange is very unique to the schools involved and the teachers and families personalize the experience every year," Mudrow said.

Locations can vary depending on school budget and interest.

Julie Done, the German and Chinese instructor at Green Canyon High School, is planning a trip for China with her students in the future.

"We're thinking of doing something similar to the Oktoberfest fundraiser, but with Chinese New Year," Done said. "It isn't set in stone, but we'll need to do something."

Nicholas Redmon, a foreign language and social studies instructor at Ridgeline High School, has more elaborate plans for his students in 2020.

"We start off at our sister school in Berlin for about five days, and then take a weekend trip down to Prague before flying to Rome," Redmon said. "We're probably a little more ambitious than some of the other schools, but I feel like the trip we do is really culturally important."

Support for that goal comes in the form of money from the purchase of food, shirts and hats at the event. Redmon said anywhere between $100 and $200 will come back to the schools for the exchange program from the 2018 Cache Valley Oktoberfest.

"That's why we'd like as many people to show up and support these fundraisers as possible," Redmon said.

Mudrow also said a traditional Oktoberfest celebrates drinking culture, but the Cache Valley Oktoberfest focuses on German and Bavarian culture.

"We substitute apple beer for regular beer," Mudrow said. "We don't want to celebrate drunk culture here, just German culture."