CALUMET — Michigan’s northernmost community, Copper Harbor, is swirling with unbridled excitement. After last year’s pandemic hiatus, Oktoberfest returns to

this Lake Superior town Sept. 24 through 26. Hosted by Harbor Haus Restaurant at 77 Brockway, it is the Keweenaw Peninsula’s “Superior” Polka Party — three days of pouring international beers, piling plates with hearty Bavarian cuisine and live music.

This year, Oktoberfest will open Harbor Haus’s new indoor/outdoor event center overlooking the harbor and Lake Superior. It can host up to 400 people and its dance floor has plenty of room for step right, two, three, left, two, three polkaing inside.

The Oktoberfest schedule:

— Friday: 5 to 9 p.m. — Full bar and live music by Billy Brotherton’s Keweenaw Clown Band. Free admission

— Saturday & Sunday: 3 to 7 p.m. — Full bar, Bavarian cuisine. $8 cover for Jim & Teri Enrietti’s “The world’s most dangerous polka band.”

This Copper Harbor celebration, however, offers something no other Oktoberfest can claim this weekend. PBS Celebrity Chef Walter Staib will film an upcoming episode about the Keweenaw Peninsula Sept. 25 to 27 for the Emmy Award-winning “A Taste of History” television series.

“We are excited to explore the vast and peaceful landscape of the waters and wilderness on the Keweenaw,” said “A Taste of History” Producer Phil Gajari. “This episode will capture the boom-to-bust history that lies just underneath this breathtaking scenery — the discovery of copper that attracted thousands of 19th-century settlers to seek their fortunes in this region’s once flourishing mining towns.”

Gajari said the show will blend history with cooking and a dash of humor. It will culminate with Chef Staib and Harbor Haus Executive Chef Dan Harri preparing traditional Bavarian and local recipes. On the list will be Steckerlfisch, Schweinshaxe and Sauerbraten. Chef Harri also has arranged for Chef Staib to visit Toni’s Country Kitchen in Laurium where Owner and Chef Eric Frimodig will teach them the art of making the Keweenaw’s renowned pasties.

“I have been an associate of Walter for the past 25 years and have traveled throughout the world with him,” said Chef Harri. “He is one of my mentors. We have prepared meals together for President Clinton, Vice President Gore and worked with Shula’s Restaurant Group. This episode will be an outstanding opportunity to showcase the Keweenaw in all its glory.”

Chef Harri said the Keweenaw Convention and Visitors Bureau was instrumental in helping Chef Staib and the PBS crew plan their film tour of this history-rich region. The sites they plan to visit are Fort Wilkins Historic State Park, Brockway Mountain, the Quincy and Delaware Copper Mines and the Keweenaw Fish Co. in Calumet where Chef Harri buys his fresh-caught Lake Superior fish. Chef Harri’s Uncle Neil will also give the PBS crew and Chef Staib an aerial tour of the peninsula. The Season 12 episode is slated to air in Spring 2022 on PBS stations and stream on Amazon Prime, and the Hungry Channel on Apple TV and Roku devices.

“Walter is ready to polka,” Chef Harri said. “So come on out and meet Chef Staib. Let’s all show some great Keweenaw hospitality.”

The Keweenaw Peninsula is the northernmost part of Michigan. Despite its name, the area is actually an island because the Keweenaw Waterway separates it from the main part of the Upper Peninsula. The Keweenaw juts into Lake Superior with almost 125 miles of shoreline. It is a nationally renowned outdoor recreational destination for mountain bikers, paddlers, hikers, snowmobilers, skiers and more. With a past in copper mining, several historical sites are

preserved for unique visitor experiences today. Learn more about the Keweenaw Peninsula at www.keweenaw.info or on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. For more information about Harbor Haus and the Oktoberfest celebration, visit www.harborhaus.com.