2011 - Fred Holdrige
Fred Holdridge, born in Lima, Ohio was a shopkeeper, community activist, newspaper columnist, bon vivant, movie critic and world traveler. He and his life and business partner Howard Burns also were ardent advocates of the arts and historic German Village. Fred served for many years as president of the German Village Society and it was his vision and leadership that brought Oktoberfest back to German Village . No one enjoyed a party as much as Fred, and the German Village Oktoberfest was the “Best Party in Town.” “The Fun Bunch” It also became the German Village Society’s major annual fundraiser. Over several years, the German Village Oktoberfest raised funds for German Village projects, including purchase and renovation of the German Village Meeting Haus. You can be sure Fred is present in spirit each year when the first keg is tapped at Oktoberfest.

2011 - George F. Schmidt
George F. Schmidt was born in Columbus in 1921 and spent most of his life in Upper Arlington. Today he resides in Worthington with his wife Patsy. George attended both John Carroll University and the University of Dayton along with serving as a pilot for the U.S. Navy. Upon returning from his naval duties he joined the family meat packing business and ran it alongside his brother Grover. In the mid-60s the meat packing plant was closed and George renovated the old livery stable into Schmidt’s Restaurant und Sausage Haus, at the same time he was growing his family business he was also helping to build the Columbus Oktoberfest through his vision and leadership.

George has been a member of several organizations such as the Northwest Kiwanis, Charity Newsies, Columbus Maennechor and the March of Dimes in addition to being a wonderful self-taught water color artist. George has turned the day to day operation of the restaurant over to his six children but remains the Chairman of the Board for J. Fred Schmidt Packing House Co. George enjoys watching his 15 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren grow and delights in seeing them enjoy the Columbus Oktoberfest. George will celebrate his 91st birthday this August and continues to be the guiding light in the production of the Columbus Oktoberfest.

2012 - Aaron Leventhal
When Fred Holdridge decided that Oktoberfest should return to German Village, one of the first people he contacted was Aaron Leventhal. Armed with only $1,000 in seed money and donated office space, in just six months, Leventhal, an accomplished special event fundraiser, pulled together sponsors, entertainers, vendors, and a volunteer force of more than 1,000 to create the German Village Oktoberfest in the Brewery District, Sept. 5-7, 1986. None of this would have been possible without the generous support of the Schmidt family, who had held the Oktoberfest for several years at the Ohio Expo Center. During Leventhal’s 15 years of producing the German Village Oktoberfest, it raised more than $2 million for German Village Society historic preservation and community service projects and in 2000 was named by the American Bus Association as one of the Top 100 events in North America.