Oregon's Alpenfest Mini-Alpine Fair

Oregon’s Alpenfest isn’t dead. It’s just gone on a crash diet.
Canceled this year due to the pandemic, the Swiss-Bavarian cultural festival will produce a small-scale version of its Alpine Fair at Wallowa Lake. In addition will be online performances by polka stars Mollie B and Ted Lange, who were scheduled to star at this fall’s festival.

Lynn Wolf, longtime chairwoman of the Alpine Fair, which usually numbers 20 or more craft and food vendors, will host a curated handful of vendors at her cabin on Nez Perce Road at Wallowa Lake on Saturday, Sept. 26.
 
Hours are 10-5, with Alpenfest’s Wurstwagen serving the festival’s celebrated Hines Meat Co. bratwursts. There also will be a drawing for a handcrafted quilt from quilter Jean Wills, a frequent Alpenfest vendor.  Proceeds will help propel Oregon's Alpenfest into the future.

Internationally known musicians Mollie Busta and her husband, Ted Lange, have agreed to play polkas and waltzes live online from their Ohio home studio as an Alpenfest fundraiser. Their band, Mollie B and Squeezebox, originally had been scheduled for three in-person shows.

Their performances will be at 2 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday Pacific time on Facebook at facebook.com/mollieb and YouTube at youtube.com/mollieb. The programs also will be archived on both services for viewing later.