The hills of Hermann are showing the first flickers of fall color, just in time for the month-long Oktoberfest celebration. A few highlights:
The Brush & Palette Club's 58th annual Arts & Crafts Festival will be held the second weekend of October at the Hermann Middle School.
The Artists of Wine Country open their studios to the public the third weekend of October. Stop by the Welcome Center for a free tour map.
Special performances at the Showboat Theatre include the Wine Country Follies at 2:15 on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. The Riverside Players will present the Neil Simon play Chapter Two at 7:30 p.m. on October 9 and 10.
The Holiday Fare Wine Trail is a great way to kick off the holiday season. Sip and sample festive food and wine pairings at six wineries.
Hermann takes on a special glow at Christmastime. 
Kristkindl Markts at Stone Hill Winery the first weekend of December and at the Hermannhof Festhalle the second weekend of December are reminiscent of Germany's famous Christmas Markets.
We've had record-breaking occupancy so far this year. To keep the momentum going, we're offering our biggest promotion ever.
Over the next three months, we plan to give away more than 100 gift baskets, with a value of more than $10,000, to guests who book multiple-night getaway vacations.
Here's the offer . . .
Stay three or more consecutive nights in one of our Inn suites and you'll receive a free Chocolate Lover's Basket, a $99 value. Stay three or more consecutive nights in a Riverbluff cottage and you'll receive a free Grilling Basket with a chocolate sauce bonus, a $79.50 value.
Multiple-night, mid-week discounts and American Hero discounts apply to this offer. And your three-night stay counts toward our Frequent Stay Program, which rewards guests who spend 10 nights at Hermann Hill with a gift certificate equal to 10 percent of their bill. Our Hermann Hill guarantee means that even if you made your reservation last year, you always get the best deal possible.
Survey Results
Norton and Vignoles were the hands-down favorites in last month's survey about Hermann wines. A number of respondents took time to wax poetic about the joys of a golden afternoon in Wine Country.
This month's Local Heroes
- Zach Krato, nominated by Frank Franer. Zach is a firefighter/paramedic who still finds time to help others who need the kind of special attention and compassion that makes him so good at his job.
- Josephine Bass, nominated by Joe and Rosetta Meiners. When three friends died, Josephine took time from her own busy family to help.
Gift certificates will be mailed to the guests who nominated this month's winners, so they can present them to their local heroes in person.
Sales Room Employee Award . . .
- Charlene from Adam Puchta Winery has again been voted salesroom person of the month. She'll receive $50 in Hermann Bucks and a bottle of Hermann Hill Port Chocolate Raspberry Sauce.
- Dee and Sam Merrifield of St. Charles, Missouri, are winners of the guest card drawing. They'll receive a $100 Hermann Hill gift certificate
PS/ October is when we ask guests their opinion of new breakfast recipes at the Inn. So don't be surprised if the breakfast entree you ordered comes with a few extra samples.
