Correspondent photos / Anthony Suszczynski Women and men wearing traditonal German costumes perform a traditional German dance known as the Der Deutsche, which is considered the mother of the waltz. Men wear lederhosen and women wear dirndl dresses..

YOUNGSTOWN — Rhine Haus Bier Hall officially opened in December in downtown Youngstown, and this weekend, the beer hall is a main stop along Phelps Street for those attending the Youngstown Oktoberfest.

Women wearing dirndl dresses and men wearing lederhosen celebrated their German culture as the smell of sauerkraut and bratwursts filled the air. Other foods at the fest included kraut balls, currywurst, pierogies and pretzels. German-style beer, along with Rhine wine tastings, were available. In addition, tents were set up with games, exhibitions, demonstrations and various vendors.

Various polka bands and German groups were featured. Kyle Ott, of the Cleveland-based, traditional German dance club STV Bavaria, displayed a set of dances and was accompanied by his fellow members who numbered about a dozen. One dance they demonstrated is called The Schuhplattler, which, according to him, means “shoe slapping.”

Ott explained the dance “comes from Bavaria, southern Germany.” He said, “It started over a thousand years ago in the Alps. And the shepherds, they saw a bird called the Auerhahn, and that bird would flap its wings and jump around during mating season to try and attract the female bird, and they saw it and said, ‘Hey, well maybe we can imitate. We’ll put it to music.’ And so they started doing that, and then it evolved into what we do now.”

Christian Rinehart not only owns the Rhine Haus, but he also owns O’Donold’s Irish Pub, Suzie’s Dogs & Drafts and Mission Taco. Two of the restaurants are named after Rinehart’s parents. His father’s name was Donald, which inspired the name O’Donold’s, and his mother’s name is Suzanne, which inspired the name Suzie’s.

Rinehart said, “I grew up — my mom still spoke German, and my grandmother spoke German, so we ate this food growing up as a kid.”

He said between 7,000 and 20,000 people will attend throughout the weekend.

“We’re hoping to grow this every year and make it just like Cleveland and Pittsburgh where, you know, there’s 100,000 people over the weekend, and we really just want everybody to celebrate the diverse cultures that are in Youngstown compared to what, you know, we only see Italian and Greek fests. We need to show that there’s a lot more heritage here, and I think this downtown Youngstown is starting to really turn around. So it’s time for us all to get rid of the old stereotypes about downtown Youngstown and come check it out,” Rinehart said.

The Oktoberfest continues today, when pink lighting will illuminate Phelps Street for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Live music will be provided by the Saxon Band noon to 2 p.m. and the House Band 5 to 8 p.m. The event will benefit the Autism Society of Mahoning Valley.

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