Concordia’s Oktoberfest Celebrates German Heritage

Big smiles, polka music, Lederhosen, an autumn rainbow, balloon animals and clinking steins were just a few of the many sights and sounds that delighted more than 1,000 guests at Concordia’s annual Oktoberfest.

Upon arrival in the Concordia Haven I Apartments lobby, attendees were met with their first big decision: homemade pie, cookies, cupcakes, cake or pumpkin bread? Our friends at John Huss Evangelical Lutheran Church and ALIVE! Community Church, who participated in this year’s bake sale, made it easy on everyone – one of each, of course!

Our guests continued to enjoy delicious eats, courtesy of our talented in-house culinary team, who served a German-themed menu that included Bavarian style pork roast, kielbasa, sauerkraut, bratwurst, spätzle, sauerbraten and Black Forest ham pretzel melts, along with warm apple cider, hot chocolate and Samuel Adams Octoberfest.

The Mikey Dee Polka Band played a great set, polka-fied “Baby Shark” for the kiddos in attendance and transformed the Haven I dining room into a dance hall for over three hours!

The fun didn’t stop inside! Down at the Concordia Ball Field, kids of all ages enjoyed pumpkin decorating, face painting, glow-in-the-dark temporary tattoos, crafts, bubbles, hayrides, bounce house fun, balloon art and learning American Sign Language from our friends at Pittsburgh Lutheran Deaf Ministry.

Concordia’s 2023 Oktoberfest concluded with an incredible fireworks show by Pyrotecnico! Special thanks to our friends who generously sponsored a portion of the fireworks display:

● Get it Done Mailing Service Inc.
● Gordon Food Services
● McCutcheon Enterprises Inc.
● Monteverde’s Inc.

A huge THANK YOU to all who helped us celebrate Concordia’s heritage – our guests, our staff and our awesome team of volunteers. Until next year, friends – Pfiat di!

Check out the photos in the gallery below (click to enlarge) and if you have any pictures from the event, share them with us on Facebook and Instagram! To keep up with what’s happening at Concordia, visit the Events page here.

Founded in 1881, Concordia Lutheran Ministries is a faith-based, CARF-accredited Aging Services Network and recipient of the inaugural Pennsylvania Department of Aging Excellence in Quality Care Award. As one of the largest nonprofit senior care providers in the country, the organization serves 50,000 people annually through in-home care and inpatient locations in western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and Tampa, Florida.