Today the City of Crown Point kicked off the fall season with the 14th Oktoberfest. The fest was a great way to get people outside and enjoy a beautiful early Autumn day. Taking place at Bulldog park, Oktoberfest featured live music, local food vendors, a beer garden, activities for kids, a bean bag tournament, an applesauce eating contest, a pumpkin pie eating contest, and more. Bulldog Park was lined with people and vendors all looking to start their fall off right.
Diana Bosse, Special Events Superintendent for the City of Crown Point, was excited that they were able to have the fest on a picture-perfect fall day.
“We have a beautiful day,” said Bosse. “This has been the first year in 10 years that we haven’t had rain, so we are excited we get a beautiful day to enjoy.
Bosse was responsible for putting everything together for Oktoberfest. She selected all of the vendors, activities, bands, and more for the fest. When asked about what it takes to pull off a fest of this size, she credited the relationships with local businesses.
“We have great relationships with our local businesses,” said Bosse. “A lot of these vendors participate in a lot of things do throughout the year and they’re all great to work with and we’re happy to have them here. They make it easy and they’re used to what we do here.”
16 different local businesses set up shop at this year’s Oktoberfest, all offering unique German fare and seasonal menu items. Bosse shared how important working with local businesses is for the city.
“It’s very important,” said Bosse.
“We always want to include our local businesses so they have an opportunity to showcase what they have to offer and get people not only to come here but to patronize their businesses as well.”
Bringing the community together is something the City of Crown Point stresses for large events like this. Crown Point Mayor Pete Land explained what he wants to community to take away from Oktoberfest.
“With all of our events we encourage everyone to come out,” said Land. “Bulldog park is a great venue, we want people to come whether they enjoy the food, whether you come here for the music, just come out and have a great time.”
Land went on to talk about his favorite part of Oktoberfest; the applesauce and pumpkin pie eating contest.
“My favorite part is the applesauce and pumpkin pie contest,” said Land. “The contestants are great and get something special for participating. It’s just great, the crowd is energized and it just lends to the whole experience of Oktoberfest.”
Check out the City of Crown Point’s Facebook page to see the video of the contests.
