Website: frischmarionettes.com

When:
Saturday: 1PM-2PM and 4PM-5PM
Sunday: 1PM-2PM and 4PM-5PM
Monday: 1PM-2PM

To call a production by The Frisch Marionette Company a puppet show would be like calling the Indy 500 "some cars driving." Not too many puppeteers have found themselves featured on Showtime and in People magazine. Frisch has been featured in both. In terms of staging, lighting, artistry, and originality, Frisch transcends the usual, and ventures into the extraordinary, mesmerizing children and adults alike with their productions. Doubters need only visit the Testimonials section of the Frisch website, where words and phrases like, "enthralling", "...best school performance I have seen in my 21 years of teaching," "Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!," and "The children were spellbound" are the norm. This type of entertainment is rare. This quality of entertainment is even rarer.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

The Frisch Marionette Company began as all good things do, with a thought, a dream and a committed passion to making that dream real. We could say that the beginning of the Frisch Marionettte Company goes all the way back to a childhood puppet show whose impression never ended. That would be true, but it was much later, after many years meandering through the arts that Kevin Frisch rediscovered the beauty, the challenge and satisfaction of puppetry.

By 1986 Kevin had moved to New York City and joined Nicolas Coppola and The Puppetworks of Brooklyn. Working with the many talented puppeteers at the Puppetworks, Kevin developed his own art, craft and skills as a puppeteer and artist. The next nine years were spent touring the New York Metropolitan area as well as performing in The Puppetworks permanent theatres in Brooklyn and Macy's Herald Square.

In 1995 Kevin moved back to Cincinnati to begin what is today The Frisch Marionette Company. Working with a talented team of puppeteers and artists, Kevin has established The Frisch Marionettes as an exceptional entertainment and educational experience for children and adults alike.

Working primarily with marionettes, The Frisch Marionette Company performs in the traditional styles of 19th Century European Puppetry. Drawing inspiration from the great Europeon troupes such as the Salzburg Marionette Theatre, we endeavour to bring one of the great old world arts to young, contemporary imaginations.

Every aspect of a Frisch Marionette production is designed, handcrafted, created and recorded in our own workshops. Each and every puppet is handcarved, every costume is sewn and custom tailored for each character. We take great pride in our craft, but we're even more proud of the excited, twinkling eyes of wonder that surround us at the end of each performance.

When:
Saturday: 2PM-4PM
Sunday: 2PM-4PM

Register: Click Here

Award winning home builder, Dr. John Learner thrives despite the foreclosure crisis. No matter the economy, the market seems to eat his houses up! Dr. Learner will build a special haunted gingerbread house which will be on display throughout the Oktoberfest. He will also offer classes on how kids can construct their own incredible edible edifices!

Classes on gingerbread house building will be limited to 20 houses per class, so you can take the class by yourself or with your family. A signup sheet will be posted shortly, and there will be a nominal fee of $10 to help offset the costs of staffing the gingerbread house building classes. Our thanks to Pat Catan's Craft Centers for donating the kits used to create the houses, as well as to Sweeties Candy for donating the candy necessary to decorate your gingerbread house.

Website: artcleveland.com

With champion sand sculptor Carl Jara on hand to create a scene from the wedding banquet of Mad King Ludwig, we thought it would be fun to give the children in attendance a chance to create their own sand sculptures.

Last year children marvelled over the 15 foot tall sand castle sculpted by Jara. Inspired, and with plastic buckets and shovels tow, children of all ages quickly went about sculpting kingdoms of their own. It proved the perfect way to get kids' creative juices flowing. It was also a wonderful chance for them to interact with other children. After all, there's nothing that consumes a child's imagination like building a sand castle!

Saturday, Sunday, & Monday

A favorite with children of all ages, Spring Mist Farms will again be offering FREE HAY RIDES! Bring the kids out, pile into a rickety horse drawn wagon, and soak in the last of summer sunshine.

Oktoberfest is also pleased to introduce our new mascot, Otto the Wiener Dog. Otto doesn't bite, is house-trained, has all his shots, loves catching frisbees, locating avalanche victims, and long walks on the beach. Given his human-size dimensions, Otto is having trouble finding a forever companion, so if you know any giant female wiener dogs, please let Otto know as his paws are too big to operate a keyboard. In the run up to the Oktoberfest, we'll try to get Otto out of his dog house as much as possible, so don't be surprised to see him at sporting events, parades, slipping into the frame behind Hoda & Kathie Lee, or at ribbon cuttings, newsworthy crime scenes, political rallies... or any other venue into which we can sneak a giant wiener dog. An artist's rendering of Otto can be seen to the right.

Saturday
1:30PM-2:30PM

Cleveland Indian mascot and fan-favorite, Slider will be on hand to give Oktoberfest Otto a run for his money. Kids will get a chance to meet Slider, and participate in some of his high-spirited hijinks. He will also be available to adults seeking hair care or beauty spot tips. GO TRIBE!

Saturday
2PM-3PM

The Oktoberfest will have several different types of trucks available for youngsters to check out... including a firetruck, street sweeper, and front end loader (bulldozer). If your child loves matchbox cars, imagine how much fun he or she will have climbing aboard the real thing.

If you've ever seen children bouncing in an inflatable space walk, you realize that kids can't get enough of them. They can jump and bounce virtually all day, which usually means that they will sleep all night -- not an altogether bad thing. Family Fun Attractions will be traveling in from Pittsburgh with several different inflatables for the kids, including a Titanic Slide, Obstacle Course, and Combo Bouncer.
NEW IN 2010! This year, Family Fun Attractions will be upping the ante, bringing in some very cool slides and rides. The huge Adrenaline Rush Obstacle Course, complete with two slides, will keep the kids thoroughly engaged. There will also be a smaller obstacle course and three different types of play and bounce for the younger ones.

Then there's the Euro Bubble pool, where kids can pilot their own bubble like a buoyant bumper car. Additionally available is a Rock Climbing Wall, a Climb And Slide, and lastly, there's the Euro Bungy, where kids can harness themselves in and, with the help of a trampoline, gain a bird's eye view of the Oktoberfest. If they're particularly adventurous, they may even try a few somersaults. Regardless, your children will have a blast with all the new slides and rides at the 2010 Cleveland Oktoberfest All rides are all illuminated, so the Children's Area will remain open after sunset. Each Unit is staffed by a qualified attendant. So bring the kids and lets get Octoberfest hoppin! You have the option to pay by the ride, or purchase an All-Day Wristband.

We've designated a special area for Arts & Crafts, where kids can conjure all sorts of fun and artistic inventions. Give a child a bottle of glue, a stack of colored paper, and some tubes of paint, and you'd be amazed what wonderful things they can create. On the off chance that they don't make anything wonderful, they'll most certainly have fun making a mess--the good news is that it won't be in your kitchen! Prices for individual crafts vary.

To keep the kids smiling, Oktoberfest has acquired the services of the amazing Paul Holbert, "one of the fastest balloon twisters in the world." Operating under the stage-name, Mr. Balloon, Paul creates some of the most fantastic creations you're likely to see, and has transformed the practice of balloon twisting into a true art form. Children can even try their hand at creating their own balloon critters. And yes, among the their creations will be many a wiener dog!

Germans have a long history of producing some of the finest crafted toys in the world. Fortunately for Oktoberfest, the Olmsted Falls Train Club will set up toy train village in the Bavarian Bazaar. In full conductor gear, they'll build and manage a complex network of railway lines for the amusement of all. When it comes to keeping kids happy, this exhibit is always on track.

With artists from the Cleveland Institute of Art on hand to create our amazing sidewalk chalk art exhibit, we wanted to give kids the chance to try their hand, and boy did they ever! After a day of rain on Saturday, we needed some sunshine, and the kids made it happen, drawing at last count 17 smiling yellow suns on the sidewalk, as well as quite a bit of broccoli (trees), stick figure families, and two window, one door houses. Bring your little artists out; and don't worry, we'll provide the chalk.

The kids will love the wiener dog races and our dog show, featuring a police dog demonstration as well as a doggie obstacle course and "Best Dressed Dog" competition. The police dogs will prove their prowess at sniffing out crime. If you want, you can dress the family dog in costume and enter the competition. Your pet may never forgive you, but the pictures will be priceless!