Cullman High School teacher and coach Casey Harbin has been tapped as burgermeister for the 2021 Cullman Oktoberfest.

For Harbin, being named to the role is a big honor, but also a big surprise. 

“I never actually considered it to be a possibility,” he said. 

The Cullman Oktoberfest Committee accepts nominations from the community for each year’s burgermeister, and while Harbin said he knew one or two people had nominated him, he never expected to be selected.

“It was 100 percent a surprise,” he said. 

Harbin said his role as burgermeister will begin a few weeks before the Oktoberfest officially begins, with several appearances with sponsors and at dinners to promote the festival, but once Oktoberfest kicks off, he will be the master of ceremonies for the various events and contests that will be taking place.

“Making sure everybody has a good time, I think is my sole responsibility,” he said. 

Being the Oktoberfest burgermeister also entails wearing lederhosen, and while Harbin said he has never worn them before, he didn’t have to look far to find the traditional German garb. 

He said the lederhosen he is wearing in the Cullman Oktoberfest’s Facebook post announcing him as this year’s burgermeister actually belong to his father. 

“I’ve always wanted to wear it, and I finally had a pretty good reason to get it from him,” he said. 

The 2021 Cullman Oktoberfest is set for Sept. 30 through Oct. 2, and Harbin said he is excited to step into the role and still in a little disbelief about being the festival’s master of ceremonies. 

“It’s a huge honor,” he said. “It’s been three or four weeks since they told me I was going to do it and it still feels like it’s not real.”