Oktoberfest Saturday in Greenfield

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Greenfield’s Oktoberfest celebration, put together by Growing Greater Greenfield (G3), including plenty of food, music and, of course, beer, will be held Saturday, Sept. 24 from 5-9 p.m. on Jefferson Street in downtown Greenfield.

The actual inaugural Oktoberfest was celebrated Oct. 12, 1810, in Munich, Germany in honor of Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festivities lasted nearly a week, ending with an exciting horse race. In the following years, the festivities were repeated every October, and they eventually moved forward into September. Other cities across the world, like Greenfield, hold celebrations modeled after the original Munich event.

G3 has been coordinating the local Oktoberfest celebration since at least 2017.

“The exciting news this year is that we’ve added a 5K race that will be going through Greenfield to kick off Oktoberfest,” said G3 President Heidi Arrington.

The race will begin at 4:45 p.m. in front of Catch 22, and a kids run will begin at 4:30 p.m. Registration for the main race is $25, and the registration for the kids run is $5. Runners can sign up at https://runsignup.com/Race/OH/Greenfield/G3Oktoberfest5K.

“We have a live band and deejay, and of course the Lion’s Club is serving food, so they’re doing hot dogs and brats and sauerkraut,” said Arrington. “They are back after a couple year hiatus due to COVID.”

Arrington said Scotty’s Brewery and Catch 22 will be serving adult beverages for the festival. “There’s also pumpkin painting, and there’s going to be temporary tattoos for the kids,” she said.

The annual Doxie Derby (a dog race involving dachshunds) will be part of the festival again. The derby will be in the alley by the Greenfield Post Office, and a wider, longer course is planned this year.

“The OSU game will also be broadcast on a big screen, so those who don’t want to miss the game will have the opportunity to watch,” said Arrington.

Second Story String Band will be onstage from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and deejay John Bellamy will be at the event from 5-9 p.m.

Wristbands allowing attendees to purchase alcohol can be purchased for $10 with the money going to support G3. “It’s one of our annual fundraisers,” said Arrington. “We will also have a donation box where people can come and donate.”

Proceeds from a silent auction of more than 36 items held during the festival will also benefit G3.

“This year will be the first year that we fall under the new DORA exemption, so alcoholic beverages will be allowed within the DORA area,” said Arrington. The Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area consists of 17.5 acres in Greenfield.

Arrington said she hopes to raise at least $3,500 from the event this year for G3. “We’ve had a mural painted on the Merchants Bank wall at the Shell station, and we are working on fundraising for our next mural which will be somewhere downtown,” she said.

Arrington said the expected attendance for the event is hard to gauge because the pandemic has impacted it for the past few years. “We hope to have a really good turnout, but we’re really not sure how many,” she said. “It’s family friendly, so bring the kids down for lots of good food and fun and entertainment for the whole family.”

Reach John Hackley at 937-402-2571.

Annual event is downtown from 5-9 p.m.

By John Hackley

[email protected]

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