For The 2nd Year, This Local Lady Won the Stein Hoisting Contest at Oktoberfest Winter Haven
by James Coulter
Lisa Yvette Fisher regularly does strength training at home–and it shows! This local lady became the two-time reigning champion of the Stein hoisting contest at Oktoberfest Winter Haven last Friday evening.
Lisa was one of several dozen contestants who decided to get into the German spirit by competing to see who could hold a one-liter glass Stein filled with nearly five pounds of beer.
For several minutes, many of the brave contestants managed to hold out, yet a few succumbed to their shaky grasp and were forced to call it quits. In the end, two contestants remained standing and holding their beer. Lisa, eventually, won out.
This year was her second year attending Oktoberfest Winter Haven, as well as her second year participating in (and winning!) the Stein hoisting contest.
When asked for comment about how it feels to win for the second consecutive year, Lisa let out an enthusiastic, “Woo hoo!”
“It feels amazing,” she said. “That was a tough one…I love this area. It [the event] is not huge, there are a lot of good people here and a lot of great beer.”
Downtown Winter Haven celebrated its 16th annual Oktoberfest, hosted by Main Street Winter Haven and presented by Victor Smith Law Group. Attendees could visit Central Park to celebrate their German heritage (or, at the very least, pretend to be German) by sampling craft beer from more than 40 local vendors, eating pretzels and sausages, and listening to traditional Oompa music.
This year’s event proved bigger and better than last year’s, as it had plenty more beer and food options, explained Anita Strang, Executive Director of Main Street Winter Haven. The success, she says, is owed to their many volunteers, their long-time planning, and plenty of local partners.
“It has been a great night,” said Meghan Mackie, Membership Director of Main Street Winter Haven. “The park is packed with people. Everyone is happy. The food trucks have lines. Everything is great.”