Ridgefield Main Street and the Ridgefield School District have teamed up to highlight the city’s newest attraction as the annual Experience Ridgefield and Oktoberfest events will take place at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex (RORC) Sept. 8.
Though the venue is decidedly different than downtown, Ridgefield Main Street will still have a presence at the RORC as the organization is key in putting on the Bavarian-themed Oktoberfest. The German food, music, wiener dog races and the “Bier Garten” are all back this year though it won’t be Overlook Park playing host to the festivities.
Why the move? Ridgefield Main Street Executive Director Marykay Lamoureaux said that expanding the reach of both Oktoberfest and Experience Ridgefield, a festival initially dreamt up by Ridgefield School District students, was key.
Lamoureaux explained that RSD Superintendent Nathan McCann is on the Ridgefield Main Street board of directors, serving as the connection needed to coordinate both events. With the brand-new RORC serving as the “perfect” venue, “it was all in the cards” to host the two September happenings at the same place.
In a way to keep those in the downtown area connected to the event, Lamoureaux said there will be a free C-TRAN shuttle from downtown running throughout both events, keeping Oktoberfest walkable more or less for those who did so the three prior years.
Lamoureaux is a relatively new addition to Main Street, having been hired as executive director last September. With Main Street now having a director, the board alongside Lamoureaux have been more involved with this year’s iteration, though the originator of the event, Sandy Schill, still plays a part in putting the event on.
Schill herself is vice-president of the organization, and is “the premier special event organizer of our area” according to Lamoureaux.
Local beers will again be on tap for the “Bier Garten” with a homegrown newcomer Hookum Brewing, based in Ridgefield, among the names.
Lamoureaux will also have a tent set up showcasing the downtown businesses to keep them a focus of the event, even with a shift in locale. She explained that having the event in a high-profile spot like the brand-new RORC would help to expand awareness of the city’s downtown businesses regionally.
“This is what we are trying for this year, to increase visibility, increase attendance at both events,” Lamoureaux said.
