Carlsbad Rotaries hold annual Oktoberfest

By: ALEXANDRA DeLUCA - For the North County Times | Saturday, October 1, 2005 11:02 PM PDT ∞

CARLSBAD ---- The sound of polka music and the smell of sausages filled the air Saturday afternoon at the Carlsbad Rotary Oktoberfest at Holiday Park.

Hundreds of people turned out for the 24th annual event, which is sponsored by the Carlsbad Rotary and the Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary. The crowd was entertained by a series of live bands including Roger and the Villagers, a polka band that performed the ever-popular "chicken dance" several times throughout the festival.

John and Lois Balmer of Vista sat at a table under a tree listening to the Pacific Coast Combo. They wore matching felt hats (his green, hers red) adorned with silver pins they have collected on their three trips to Germany. John said the hats, which they bought in Germany, are called jager hats.

"We like to hear the music, hear the oom-pah-pah," said John.

Balmer said he and his wife attend Oktoberfests throughout the area, such as the Encinitas Oktoberfest last weekend.

"We go to them all the time," Balmer said. "My wife is of German heritage, and we like to wear our hats."

Lois said she preferred the Carlsbad Oktoberfest to others they have attended.

"It's lovely here because you've got shade, and there aren't as many vendors," she said. "It's more family oriented."

Indeed, many families came out to spend a sunny afternoon in the park, which featured a Spiderman bounce house, an antique Carlsbad fire engine to play on, a roving magician and clowns painting faces and making balloon animals.

Another popular spot was the Pumpkin Patch in the southwest corner of the park, where pumpkins were available for purchase and decorated for entry in a pumpkin-decorating contest. Children of all ages were hard at work decorating pumpkins with paint, colored pipe cleaners, ribbons and foam shapes.

Stacy and Randy Osborne of Carlsbad watched their 16-month-old son, Kael, paint a pumpkin in shades of green and yellow.

"It's an abstract," joked Randy Osborne.

At the other end of the table, Sammy Hoyle, 13, and Abby Devins, 9, of Carlsbad painted a face on a large pumpkin. Aside from the contest, Sammy said she was most looking forward to "eating the good food."

There was plenty good food to choose from: apple strudel, pumpkin pie, apple slices with caramel dip, and sausage sandwiches. A German dinner was also available for $10 a plate, which offered a choice of sausages ---- bratwurst, knockwurst, chicken apple ---- with German potato salad and sauerkraut.

"We serve about 8,500 dinners and an awful lot of beer and wine," said Allan "Al" Wanamaker, Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary member and owner of Al's CafÈ in the Village. "It's always been a very successful event."

Wanamaker said he expected over $50,000 to be raised over the course of the day, all of which will be donated to the Boys & Girls Club of Carlsbad, the Women's Resource Center and to both Rotaries' scholarship funds.

Wanamaker said the event was run entirely by volunteers from both rotaries, the Boys & Girls Club of Carlsbad, the Women's Resource Center, the North County Rotaract Club and the Carlsbad High School Interact Club.

"We could not do this without the help of hundreds of people," said Wanamaker.

Two of those volunteers were Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Walt Waggener and North County Rotary member Parker Seybold, who were keeping busy at the beer and wine booth.

Waggener said he has volunteered at the annual event for several years.

"It's great because it raises money for really good causes, and you get to see people having good time," he said.

Waggener said they were selling much more beer than wine, and that he expected sales to go up when Roger and the Villagers took the stage.

"About the time the chicken dance fires up, the beer sales fire up," he said.

Many people said they came especially for the chicken dance, including Jen and Duane Conder, who sat at a picnic table with their two sons, their nephew and two other families from their Carlsbad cul-de-sac.

"I love the German potato salad and the kids like the chicken dance," said Jen Conder. "And I think we have to do some face-painting and dessert."