Nailing Down Oktoberfest Fun

The buzz of a chainsaw reverberated through the City of Sparta brush pile Monday morning, Sept. 21, as Eric Olson sliced thick discs from an enormous cottonwood trunk.

Olson, who owns Pica Grove with his wife, Sue Iverson, was preparing the wood for Oktoberfest USA in La Crosse coming up this weekend. After cutting the thick discs from the trunk, Olson transported them to Pica Grove’s Sparta workshop, where he planned to shape and finish them into sturdy playing blocks for Klotz und Nagel, a competitive nail-driving game offered through the company’s Katzenjammer Games booth.

The freshly cut rounds resembled giant versions of “tree cookies,” the smaller cross-sections of tree trunks sometimes used to create garden paths. But these pieces were being made to withstand an Oktoberfest weekend filled with hammer blows, competition and cheering spectators.

Olson and his brother-in-law, Mike, had discovered a supply of usable wood among the city’s discarded logs. Olson pointed toward several other large trunk sections he hoped could eventually be transported to the shop for future Oktoberfest games.

The cottonwood project is the latest chapter in Pica Grove’s creative relationship with Oktoberfest. Olson said that relationship has grown from one towering Lady Bavaria sculpture into festival banners and signs, a post-and-timber entrance structure with a photo opportunity, and one of the beer tent’s liveliest games.

Before the cottonwood can become part of the competition, Olson must determine whether it has the right density. Cottonwood can be tricky, he said. Wood that is too soft makes driving the nails too easy, while wood that is too hard can make the game frustrating. Olson tests the trunk before investing the time and labor required to cut and finish the massive sections.

The Sparta cottonwood appeared to fall within the right range. Olson estimated that the tree was approximately 45 to 50 years old. Its broad growth rings reflected how quickly cottonwoods can grow. An oak of the same age, he explained, would ordinarily be much smaller.

Cutting straight through a trunk of that size also requires more precision than a casual observer might expect. Olson measures the section, finds its center and works methodically around the trunk, almost like an hour hand moving around the face of a clock. The grain and irregular shape of the wood can pull the chainsaw away from a straight line. Once the discs reach Pica Grove, they are trimmed and finished into stable blocks that will not roll during play.

Klotz und Nagel translates to “Block and Nail.” The activity resembles the game many festivalgoers know as Hammerschlagen, but Olson said that name is trademarked, so Pica Grove uses a different name for its version.

The idea is simple: players gather around a wooden block, each with a nail. They take turns striking their nails with a heavy hammer, passing it around the circle as the competition builds. The first person to drive a nail completely into the wood wins.

Success does not necessarily depend on strength. Olson said some players approach the block expecting to finish the job with one dramatic blow, only to miss repeatedly. Others settle into a careful rhythm and steadily tap their nails into the wood. Women who initially doubt their ability to handle the hammer frequently end up outperforming more confident competitors, Olson said.

“It’s like the tortoise and the hare,” he said.

The booth can become packed on Friday and Saturday nights. A late-night Tournament of Champions brings together some of the weekend’s most skilled and competitive players.

Olson said visitors from Austria stopped at the booth during the 2025 festival and demonstrated their own variation of the game. They shared stories and playing techniques with him while enjoying the festival. “We just had a blast,” he said.

Olson and Iverson’s involvement with Oktoberfest began long before they operated the game booth. They attended the celebration for years and appreciated the sense of community surrounding it. Wanting to contribute something positive and memorable, they created a towering replica of Lady Bavaria, the monumental bronze figure that overlooks the Oktoberfest grounds in Munich, Germany.

Pica Grove’s 16-foot sculpted-foam Lady Bavaria was originally designed as a float for La Crosse’s Maple Leaf Parade. The figure was digitally modeled from photographs, carved from expanded polystyrene foam in numerous sections and assembled like a large puzzle. Details were refined by hand before the sculpture was covered with a durable coating and painted to resemble aged bronze.

Lady Bavaria now presides over Oktoberfest USA each year. During the rest of the year, the sculpture can be seen outside Pica Grove’s studio along Riley Road in Sparta.

Olson said that first major project led to more work for Oktoberfest, including banners, signs and a large post-and-timber entrance structure for the beer tent. The structure also includes a place where festivalgoers can pose for photographs.

Olson said people missed the nail game after an earlier version disappeared from the beer tent. He and Iverson stepped in with Katzenjammer Games, bringing the competition back while giving it their own identity.

The booth has since become a place where strangers gather around the same block, laugh at missed swings and cheer as the nails sink deeper into the wood. Olson said operating the booth changed the way he saw Oktoberfest.

“I was absolutely amazed at how happy everybody is, how well-behaved everybody is, how everybody’s just there to have fun,” he said.

Out of the thousands of people who pass through, only a handful cause problems, he added. Most arrive ready to enjoy the celebration and one another.

That spirit connects the game to the rest of Pica Grove’s Oktoberfest work. The company does more than construct functional objects. Olson and Iverson help create the atmosphere people remember: the towering figure greeting visitors, the entrance to a crowded beer tent, the place where friends stop for a photograph and the wooden block surrounded by laughter and friendly competition.

Pica Grove’s work extends well beyond Oktoberfest. The Sparta studio creates oversized sculptures, custom signs, interactive exhibits, dimensional displays and theatrical props. Its local work includes pieces for Sparta Kriskindlmarkt, artwork for the Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum, an award-winning interactive exhibit for the Monroe County Local History Room & Museum, and artwork at Memorial Field Football Stadium. The studio has also created elaborate player-introduction props for professional sports teams and other large-scale projects for national clients.

But on Monday morning, the work began with something much simpler: a chainsaw, an enormous cottonwood and the ability to recognize creative potential in a pile of discarded trees.

Soon, wood salvaged from Sparta’s brush pile will be surrounded by Oktoberfest revelers in La Crosse, ringing with hammer blows, laughter and cheers as another round of Klotz und Nagel gets underway.

Each Pica Grove project carries its own surprising story. Keep reading the Monroe County Herald for an upcoming feature that takes readers inside the Sparta studio and explores more of what Olson and Iverson create, from local museums and community spaces to professional football stadiums.