SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Local favorite Himmel Haus is raising a stein to fall with a full lineup of Oktoberfest festivities, offering everything from family fun to traditional German fare and their staple pageant event to close out the season.

The celebrations are set to kick off on Saturday, Sept. 20, with Kinderfest, a family-focused day running from noon to about 6 p.m. Weather permitting, the event will be held outdoors and feature a bouncy house, cotton candy, snow cones and kid-friendly menu specials, including corn dogs.

The following weekend, Saturday, Sept. 27, Himmel Haus will host its traditional wooden mallet ceremonial keg tapping of Munich-based Hacker-Pschorr’s Oktoberfest lager. Chef-inspired food specials will include German potato salad, cucumber salad, German plum dumplings, and a savory wild boar and mushroom pie, along with some other potential surprise offerings. Dinner service is planned to run from 4 to 10 p.m., and reservations are recommended.

The festivities wrap up on Saturday, Oct. 4, with the restaurant’s 13th annual Mr. and Mrs. Oktoberfest Pageant, a 21-and-over event beginning at 6 p.m. Participants will showcase their best German attire in a runway walk, answer audience questions and display a talent of their choice. Past performances have included music, dance and feats of stein-chugging prowess

“We welcome everybody to join,” said owner David Armstrong. “Our winner last year did the splits and chugged a liter boot of beer in under 20 seconds and broke the record for that while doing the splits. We’ve had people do dances. We’ve had people lip sync. People get really creative with it.”

Throughout the pageant, guests can expect lively emceeing, audience interaction, traditional German songs, along with plenty of Zicke Zacke toasts.

Himmel Haus is located at 3819 Saddle Road in South Lake Tahoe. Contestants can sign up in advance by emailing himmelbookings@gmail.com, calling the restaurant or signing up at the bar.