What competition requires lederhosen, bratwursts, and sauerkraut? The UIL german competition, Houstonfest, an annual event that quizzes students in German classes from across the Houston-area on topics from puppet shows to folk dancing to doll costuming.  

Out of the 30 Cinco students that competed in this year’s Houstonfest, Feb. 8, eight will be advancing to State level competition, Feb. 29, at Texas State University. This is junior Alexis Dudash’s second time to compete at the State competition in the German Culture category after winning first prize earlier this month.

“Since the competitions are in 30 minute segments,” Dudash said. “I took the competition early. I was pretty much the first one out, but then I headed straight home. I only found out I had won when someone told me later. I was like ‘AH’!”

Dudash, also Vice President of the Cinco German club, credits her extensive Germanic knowledge to her family’s frequent trips to the country, where she’s observed some of the local culture first hand.

“I’m not German, but my parents first met there,” Dudash said. “I guess they like me to see where they lived for so long. There was some stuff that I wouldn’t have known unless I’d been there. Local things, types of food and beer. Different regions have different foods and unless you’ve been to that region you wouldn’t know. Even random stuff like ‘The tallest mountain in Austria is blank’.”

Juniors Michelle Amezcua and Alexis Frank will also be advancing to State in the Crafts and Doll Costuming categories.

“Our craft was a recreation of a famous German painting, Blue Horse I,” Amezcua said. “We had been working on it since May, pretty much last year. Nine months of torture! We used tissue paper and a like a stippling type thing to make something vaguely horse shaped. But it can be anything German- related. Someone made a plane, or last year someone made a fairy garden with an actual fish in it.”

While they wait for their competitions to begin, students are free to enjoy the elaborate entertainment at Houstonfest, including actors in traditional German clothing and food trucks serving German fare throughout the day.

“They have German food trucks that serve sauerkraut and bratwursts and other stuff,” Frank said. “You’re in the cafeteria waiting, but it’s not nerve-wracking at all. It’s like, ‘Are we in Germany?’ There are characters all around, these people transform themselves. Sometimes they’ll even speak to you in German.”

Dudash, Amezcua, and Frank will all accompany their fellow competitors to Texas State University, Feb. 29, in the hopes of advancing to national level competition.

“Last year we didn’t make it to State,” Frank said. “So we’re pretty excited for this time. Who knows what’ll happen?”