Hi-De-Ho Rene,

I'll be attending two very different but interesting cultural phenomena this weekend and will come back with thoughts and, with luck, some good photos of the sights to post here.

Event No. 1 is Oktoberfest in Hays, Kansas (or, for those of you in the know, Hays, America). Hays is the site of my college alma mater and the seat of Ellis County, a largely German-Russian county once known for the highest per capita consumption of cereal malt beverages in the country. College students + old Germans + beer + bierocks + polka bands = Oktoberfest.

Event No. 2 is a Winston Cup race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. I'll be working but will be able to soak in some of the atmosphere. It will be my first NASCAR event, so I don't know entirely what to expect, but I am told NASCAR has an interesting, evolving culture of its own.

Later,
Kari