A 14-year-old dachshund from Campbell County helped inspire the official poster celebrating 50 years of one of Cincinnati’s biggest traditions.
Camp Springs artist Keith Neltner, founder of Neltner Small Batch, designed the limited-edition poster for the 50th Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, taking inspiration from his own German heritage, Cincinnati landmarks and, perhaps most importantly, his family’s wiener dog.
“She was really the inspiration because the wiener dog kind of sums this whole thing up,” Neltner said. “It’s kind of wild, and you know it’s really diverse, and there’s all this culture, but it’s Cincinnati’s take on it.”
The print puts a dachshund front and center, surrounded by Oktoberfest staples and Cincinnati references, including sausages, pretzels, flying pigs and a nod to the Roebling Suspension Bridge.
There’s also a more personal piece of Neltner family history hidden in the design. The beer stein featured in the poster was inspired by one passed down through his family.
Neltner, who turns 50 himself in January, said creating the artwork for the festival’s 50th anniversary came with some pressure.
Neltner was approached about the project by Jake Stabitz of Dust Village, which handles merchandise for Oktoberfest Zinzinnati. Organizers wanted to create a screen-printed poster for the anniversary and gave Neltner the creative freedom to approach it.
While the obvious Oktoberfest ingredients, food, beer and German heritage were there, Neltner said organizers largely let him run with the concept.
“They gave me a couple posters that had been done historically, but they really wanted me to kind of approach it the way I do their rock posters and gig posters and things like that,” he said.
The artwork was then turned over to screen printer Jon Flannery of Northside-based Cryptogram, who Neltner said printed each poster by hand.
Only 350 of the four-color prints were made. Each is signed and numbered and will be available at Oktoberfest Zinzinnati merchandise booths. Neltner will also have 100 prints available at various local locations after the festival.
For Neltner, designing artwork for an event across the Ohio River doesn’t feel like venturing very far from home.
His Neltner Small Batch studio is based in Camp Springs, the rural Campbell County community where his family has deep roots, like the iconic Neltner’s Farm, but Cincinnati has long been part of his life and career.
“I feel like we’re so connected to Cincinnati,” Neltner said. “It’s just a river. We’re kind of one community. I’ve always been influenced by Cincinnati.”
Neltner said one of his favorite Oktoberfest memories came from attending the festival’s wiener dog races a few years ago. Watching the dogs helped cement his decision to make one the star of the anniversary artwork.
“They’re like little comedians,” Neltner said. “They take themselves so serious, but they’re so funny.”
That mix of tradition and slightly chaotic fun became the spirit he wanted to capture in the poster.
Neltner said projects like this also stand out because of the people involved and the process of making a physical piece of art, from developing the illustration to having the finished prints pulled by hand.
“There’s a lot of planning, there’s a lot of process, but the interaction with everyone involved, everyone loves this event so much,” Neltner said. “I feel like that comes through in the final art.”
The 50th Oktoberfest Zinzinnati runs Sept. 17-20 at Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove, 05 E Pete Rose Way.
