Mark your calendars. The first US-based store for clothing manufacturer Wiesnkoenig has opened up in Over-the-Rhine. What? You’re not familiar with the official lederhosen manufacturer for the Munich Oktoberfest? Well my friend, that’s about to change! A change you may see coming to some pants near you!

Wiesnkoenig has decided to expand their locations outside of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, choosing Cincinnati as its next target.

Now you may be wondering, why choose Cincinnati as the place for your first US-based store. And that would be a good question. But the answer’s obvious when we turn to another Cincinnati classic: Oktoberfest Zinzinnati.

From September 19-21, Tri-State residents will revel in all things German. As long as we confine “all things” to mean food, drink, music, and (now) lederhosen. More than 500,000 people will attend this year, and according to Cinci Magazine local residents will consume more than 23,000 soft pretzels, 80,500 Bratwurst, and 3,604 lbs of Sauerkraut during Oktoberfest Zinzinnati. To put those numbers into context, let’s break them down a bit:

• 23,000 soft pretzels would be enough to fill about 4 “average” sized in-ground swimming pools. (You don’t want to know how many soft pretzels I had to bake to figure that out…)

• If we took all the Bratwurst we’ll eat during Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, and laid it end to end, we’d have enough Bratwurst to cover 6.8 miles of I-71.

• And we’ll eat enough sauerkraut to equal just under the weight of the typical American car (4,000 lbs).

Both Oktoberfest Zinzinnati and the opening of Wiesnkoenig’s newest store are just one more link in Cincinnati’s long history with German culture and traditions. Which is also why our region was the first to receive an authentic Hofbrauhaus outside of Munich.

Pam and Rob Sibcy, Robin Sheakley, Bill Borek, Jim Stofko and Bob Mahoney are looking very stylish in lederhosen and dirndls.

So in the coming days, let’s make sure to embrace our German traditions that Cincinnati (or in some cases Northern Kentucky) has. So before heading out this weekend, grab your favorite pair of lederhosen. And according to Wiesnkoenig, you don’t need the suspenders to rock out the lederhosen. But if you’re not going to do that, at least eat your fair share of sauerkraut.