Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest Maypole looking for a new home
One of the iconic symbols of Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest needs a new home.
On Thursday, the organization announced plans to remove the Oktoberfest Maypole from its current location beside 17 Benton Street.
The former Hans Haus, also known as the “Castle”, was purchased in 2021 and is being redeveloped.
Due to that work, the maypole must be moved.
Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest says it will be stored at the City of Kitchener Operations Facility until they can find it a new home. They added those discussions are already underway.
The Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest Maypole at Benton Street in Kitchener on Dec. 1, 2022. (Terry Kelly/CTV Kitchener)
HISTORY OF THE MAYPOLE
The Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest Maypole was first raised in 1988.
The organization says they received support from the family of Fred Buttinger, who was a long-time supporter of the festival.
The maypole has been a symbol of Oktoberfest for more than 30 years, and includes the Kitchener and Waterloo crests, as well as crests of five local German clubs: Concordia Club, Schwaben Club, Transylvania Club, Alpine Club and Hubertushaus (the German Canadian Hunting & Fishing Club in Mannheim).
Maypoles have traditionally represented the beginning of harvest season and used to celebrate May Day or Midsummer, sometimes depicted as a flower-wreathed pole where sports and dances are performed.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.