For four days, New Glarus did what New Glarus does best. It opened its doors, filled its streets, raised a few glasses and welcomed thousands of people into town as if they belonged here. By Saturday night, downtown was overflowing with people, music and energy. It may have been the single busiest Saturday night in New Glarus Oktoberfest history. Whether anyone can ever prove that or not, anyone who walked through the festival could see just how extraordinary the crowd had become.

An event of that size does not simply happen. It takes people — a lot of them. Volunteers spent hours pouring beer, serving food, cleaning tables, answering questions, helping visitors and doing the hundred little things most people never notice. Local businesses did their part, too, feeding people, entertaining them, staying busy late into the night and making visitors feel at home. Restaurants, taverns, shops, musicians, vendors, organizers and volunteers all became part of something much larger than any one tent or stage.