Some new activities and a new band will be featured Saturday, Sept. 24 when the 6th annual G3 Oktoberfest is held starting at 5 p.m. in Greenfield.
The purpose of the festival is to invigorate the community and raise funds for community projects, according to Greening Greater Greenfield (G3) committee member Shari Royce-Bellar.
“We’ve been doing about three events per year and we just want to bring the community together, give them a little entertainment, and keep community pride instilled in Greenfield,” Royse-Bellar said.
Most recently, according to Royse-Bellar, G3 has been directing its efforts toward Felson Park in Greenfield. She said a shelter house has been built at the park, the creek bank along the park has been cleaned, and that there are plans to erect a stage at the park that would be available for community use. She said G3 has also placed banners in the uptown Greenfield area, among other projects.
She said G3 is planning more events at Felson Park.
Some of the new events planned for Oktoberfest include root beer mug races through a straw maze, a “Doxie Derby,” or daschund race, and a German cake-baking contest. The band Euro Mutts will also be new this year.
The celebration will be held on South Washington Street near the Greenfield City Building.
A schedule of events follows:
• 5:30 p.m. – Breaking of the pretzel on G3 stage in front of the Bier Garten.
• 6 p.m. – Doxie Derby, corner of Mirabeau and Washington streets.
• 6 p.m. – Euro Mutts, Oktoberfest band.
• 6:30 p.m. – German cake/desert contest. The winners will be announced on the G3 stage.
• 7 p.m. – Root beer mug races at straw maze.
• All evening – Cake walks, rubber chicken toss.
The chicken toss if for all ages and will have the following age groups competing at the following times: 6:30 p.m., ages 6 & under; 7 p.m., grades 1-4; 7:30 p.m., grades 5-8; 8 p.m., grades 9-12; 8:30 p.m., seniors; 9 p.m., open class.
Throughout the evening there will also be barrel train rides, Punkin Chunkin, pumpkin painting, pumpkin bowling, face painting, a bounce house, German Food Fair Fest, and the John Baal Memorial Bier Garten.
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522 or on Twitter @13gillilandj.
