On Saturday, Sept. 14, the Ridgefield Lions Club hosted an Oktoberfest celebration at Abrams Park, bringing polka music, brewery offerings and lively festivities to the community. Popular attractions like the wiener dog race and a cornhole tournament, organized by the Ridgefield Chamber of Commerce, drew large crowds during the festival.
This year marked the first time the Lions Club organized the event after the Ridgefield Main Street team passed the torch last year. Steve Dronen, chair of the Lions Club Oktoberfest Committee, expressed pride in the turnout and the successful collaboration with local volunteers and vendors.
“It's been a lot easier than anticipated to get everything logistically lined up, and it's just a matter of finding the right vendors, the right suppliers and getting everybody on board to partner with. It all just worked out great,” Dronen said.
Previously, the Ridgefield Lions Club co-hosted the annual Sausage Fest for three years. The club will shift its focus entirely to making Oktoberfest its signature annual event.
“The two festivals, they kind of have the same general idea, this one obviously being more focused toward the German culture and German focus … morphing from sausage fest October, because I think it's a pretty good step for us,” Dronent said. “People tend, I think, tend to gravitate more towards an Oktoberfest versus a sausage fest, and [there] just appears to be a little more going on at Oktoberfest in general. So we thought that would be a better, a better idea for us to do.”
Proceeds from ticket sales, vendor fees and the Ridgefield Lions Club kitchen will fund future Lions Club programs to support the community. Learn more about the club at ridgefieldlions.org.
