Saturday will be time for dachshunds and dirndls once again in Downtown Pilot Point.
The third annual Oktoberfest will kick off at noon with the ceremonial keg tapping.
“We are hoping, we are praying, that everything comes together and we could see 5,000 or more people attend Oktoberfest this year, and our metrics are looking like that's a possibility,” Pilot Point Neighborhood Events co-founder Katie Scott said. “So, I hope there's good weather.” Among the draws for this year's event are repeat performance by the polka band Brave Combo, as well as dance performances by the Whitney High School German Folk Dancers.
“[Brave Combo was] phenomenal last year and the year before, and we just always love listening to them and polka dancing, if that's your thing,” Scott said.
There will also again be dachshund races as well as a Stein hoisting competition and a dirndl and lederhosen costume contest.
“We're going to actually have over 50 vendors this year,” PPNE co-founder Monica David said. “And if you're familiar with Cousins Maine Lobster, we have them this year.”
There will also be a Kids Zone and a Splash Blast, which is an alternative to the traditional dunking booth, throughout the event.
“It's all for a really good cause, so if you have a long list of haters, we want you in the Splash Blast and we're going to capitalize on that,” Scott said.
The event isn't purely fun and games, as the proceeds raised from this event go to support Shepherd's Storehouse as well as to help promote additional events in the future through Pilot Point Neighborhood Events, the nonprofi t behind Oktoberfest.
“The coolest part is, because of all of this work, we've been able to donate $5,500 to the Shepherd's Storehouse in the last two years alone,” Scott said. “… $5,500 for him in the amount of food that he can purchase to support this community expands beyond what you and I can purchase at the grocery store, and yet, it's still not enough. With the amount of people coming in here, … there's still need, and that's why we've chosen to continue to have that be our mission project.”
For more information about the event, see pilotpointoktoberfest. com. For more information about Pilot Point Neighborhood Events, visit pilotpointneighborhoodevents. org.
File Photo/The Post-Signal
