THUNDER BAY -- Oktoberfest came off in Septermber, as it should be.
"Traditional Oktoberfest starts in September in Germany so we're going authentic," said Alexandra Jones chair of Rotary Oktoberfest.
In 2013, the Huffington named Thunder Bay's first Oktoberfest one of the best Canadian representations of the German traditional festival.
Organizers are expecting around 1,200 people to pass through the Coleseum building at the CLE Grounds on Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m.
"Costumes help. We have a lot of people who come decked out in costume, which is great," Jones explaned. "We've got the beer, we've got the pretzels, we've got the bratwurst and we have the Polka Pirates so we've got it all." 
A five-kilometre run started the day off, followed by 21 teams competing in a Crossfit competition.
The 'brawn' part of Beer and Brawn rewarded Crossfit athletes burning as many calories as possible in events testing endurance, running, rowing, skipping and weightlifting to showcase their overall fitness.
"It's a family, that's exactly what it is. It's a culture," said event co-coordinator Andrea Kwasny.
"I think it just motivates people. They have an event to train for so it motivates them to get in the gym. Sometimes when you're sitting there, and the last thing you want to do is get up off the couch and go work out so if you know you have a competition coming up, you want to perform your best. It's fun to be competing with your fellow friends and athltes too."
