Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest? No!
Multi-​cultural festival with Biergarten? Ja!
Unfortunately, this was a watered down version of what an Oktoberfest could be, or should be.
They did have German folk dancing in Tracht (traditional German costume) along with a Bierhaus band on the main stage. The Spaten and Hefeweizen were alright. And the Würste was the best (hehe).
Vendor booths were set up around the plaza with food and merchandise for sale. A Haunted House with creepy costumed kids loitering outside was set up to the side of the plaza.
Kudos go out to the prizes at the Kids with Disabilities booth, free books (!!) from Half Price Books, and the Magic of Andrew and Brenton.
Next year, if I have to attend an Oktoberfest in CoCo County, I’m going to check out what all the hoopla is about in Clayton.

mmhh, how about multi cultural fall fest. Much better fitting for this event.
Because this ain’t no Oktoberfest!
Isn’t there a law to follow rules if you call your event Oktoberfest?
Sorry Concord, but you really messed up on this one. Boooooooo!
If you want to experience an Oktoberfest, go to Clayton. Trust me!

The clouds parted, the sun rained down on us, the temperatures rose. We had stumbled into Oktoberfest in Concord. Tickets were decent, you get a glass and 5 beers (smallish). They had crazy accordion ladies (yeah!), square dancing (ok.), clown cyclists (wha???), and Santa’s inflatable village (OK, WHAT?), oh, and there were like 10 breweries. Bear Republic dominated the scene I do believe. There was plenty of room to mingle, get dranks and enjoy the music. The fiancé and I met up with fellow Unilocalers Emily J and Jac C and spent the afternoon gnashing on expensive festival food and drinking and drinking and drinking and drinking. I want to compare this to the SF Oktoberfest, but these are two different animals. Concord was great because of the open space, sunlight, multiple breweries and much cheaper drinks… If you are disenfranchised by the SF Oktoberfest, give this one a try next year. Bring your friends. Bring your pet clown.

I had a good time at Concord’s Oktoberfest yesterday. They have only been doing it for a few years so I think they are still working out some kinks but it seems that a fun time was had by all.
Some highlights:
— Entrance into the event is free!
— Cyclecide (
): person powered bicycle carousel and swings.
— Local brews being poured by nice people with smiling faces. If you are a beer drinker then I recommend the $ 20 package (glass and 5 beer tasting tickets). That is plenty of beer for most people.
— Separate «adult» (i.e. beer) and «child friendly» (i.e. jumpies) areas. Thank you.
— Food stands: I recognized a few from the weekly farmers market, including the $ 5 loaded baked potato stand.
— Music, I especially liked The Squeegees (
) who played some tunes that put a bounce in my step.
— Square dancers: I really enjoyed watching the couples dancing together in cute, poofy skirts and matching ties. What is there not to love?
A bonus was spending the afternoon with Jac C, Jackie V, Erik U and Lydia B. Cheers!