Sauerkraut and sausage fill German Fest

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) - Break out your beer steins and get ready to celebrate, German-style!

Sauerkraut, sausage, and of course plenty of beer filled the tents in Cheektowaga Town Park for this year's German American Heritage festival.

Party-goers enjoyed music from several local bands, a waltz contest, and a rare opportunity to dress up in lederhosen.

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Festival Chairman Herbert Schmidt said, "Culture is the spice of life. So whether you're celebrating German or Polish or Irish or Italian, it just makes life that much better. America is made up of culture. And if you don't know where you came from, it's kind of hard to really celebrate it like you should."

Western New York's largest German festival continues until 10 PM Sunday night.