When the Smithsonian Institution researched the story of ethnic cultural events in the United States, it found Max Blob's Park in a place of honor in German-American history.

Way back on the last Sunday of September 1947, when American soldiers were returning from occupied Germany with a taste for suds, schnitzel and song, the first Oktoberfest ever held in this country was at the beer garden in Jessup.

Max Eggrel, the great-nephew of founder Max Blob, has a framed document from the Smithsonian to prove it.

"I don't know how they uncovered this," he said, standing in his family's beer hall. "It creates a lot of history...