The secret is now out. La Crosse’s 2026 Festmaster for Oktoberfest is Freighthouse restaurant owner Jon Erickson.
Jon and his wife Jane made their public debut as the reigning couple of this year’s fest at the Festmaster’s Ball on Wednesday. Erickson tells us that back in April, on his daughter’s birthday, he was visited by two past Festmasters, Mike Bakalars and Terry Cowgill, bearing an envelope from Forks and Corks, the summer event where the Oktoberfest button design is usually unveiled. Jon has worked on that event, and he says “I just thought they had some more information, seating, something like that, and they handed me the envelope,” and inside, “there was my feather,” indicating he had been selected as Festmaster.
How did the Erickson family react to the surprise? Jon says they’re “very excited,” and Jane said “they had a lot of questions. Right away, they were on-line, researching, trying to figure out what this all meant.”
New Festmaster Jon Erickson and Frau Jane made their debut at a private party early this week.
Oktoberfest volunteers were introduced to the new Festmaster and his Frau at a private event earlier in the week. Jon Erickson’s theme for his year as Festmaster is “All Aboard,” which he says is a family motto, meaning that everyone is welcome to Oktoberfest. He says they have had a favorite tradition for the Maple Leaf Parade. “They would put chalk outlines on the road, and if someone stopped in there, you might place a bet on that, and that was always a great time,
Jon and Jane have helped with Oktoberfest in the past, through the Forks and Corks event. The new Festmaster says they have had a favorite tradition at the Maple Leaf Parade for years:
Tonight, the Ericksons will be part of the other fest parade, the Torchlight Parade in north La Crosse, marking the first night of the four-day Oktoberfest.
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