Bavaria invaded Bakersfield for a day on Sept. 3. Stramler Park was the site for the first Bakersfield Oktoberfest. With many German beers on tap and genuine German food served, it was a taste of the weeklong brouhaha held yearly in Munich.
Although our Oktoberfest was only seven hours long, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., it was an exercise in tradition not had in Bakersfield before.
Gigantic steins replete with amber nectar, the “Das Boot” (a boot glass on a lanyard) hanging around necks and plastic cups brimming with foam were seen all around Oktoberfest.
Dale Ridenour, a Bakersfield College student in motor controls, was happily sipping his Hofbrau stein, which was one of the featured brews.
“The Spaten Oktoberfest has definitely been my favorite [beer]. I’m glad people in Bakersfield are finally recognizing something like this. I hope the charity benefits really well from the event,” said Ridenour. The Spaten Oktoberfest was also his wife’s favorite, Laura Ridenour, currently on the waiting list for BC’s radiology technician program.
Spaten Brewery was one of four German breweries highlighted at the festival. The other three, Hacker- Pshcorr, Paulaner, and Hofbrau, were also being happily consumed by festival goers.
German beer wasn’t the only choice for one-day Bavarians. Kern River Brewing Company was also on hand.
Jared Tolomei was hovering around KRBC’s booth all day.
“The Class V Stout from them has been my favorite for the day.”
Not far from the KRBC booth was the stage. Stein-carrying contests, a stein-holding challenge in which participants were tasked to hold a stein straight in front of them for as long as possible, were among some of the games played. A non-alcoholic beer chugging contest garnered the most chants.
Part of the proceeds from the event will be donated to Mastering Abilities Riding Equines, a non-profit organization in Bakersfield dedicated to providing horse therapy.
The festival is promoted by Ugly Duck Marketing, a new marketing agency, Ugly Duck is controlled from all aspects by Corey Jenkins and Kevin Harrer.
“This festival has exceeded my expectations. At seven o’ clock we are doing pretty well with about 2,500 people so far,” says Jenkins as he is bombarded with questions and status updates, all while grinning in his lederhosen.
In keeping true to German heritage, everything from the amount of bratwurst to the Red River Dutchmen (the traditional polka band that belted out on the trumpet, tuba and obo), Jenkins was diligent at making sure the event was authentic and running smoothly.
“The beer we brought out is top German beer,” says Jenkins, ” We tasted a lot of different ones, from Marzens to Pilsner’s and found four of the best. The food was another thing we had to get right. We tasted with a catering company and German descendents living in Bakersfield to make sure we had all the bases covered, and of course it had to taste good. And what would Oktoberfest be without Polka?”
Jenkins expectations are high for next year too. He wants to see a weekend event instead of just one day. With family friendly activities for children, such as a carnival area, to come in the next few years, Jenkins hopes to see the festival at least double in size.
In between gulps of Sam Adams, Geoff Massoni said, “I love the Oktoberfest. If there was one every Saturday I would be here.”