Ridgefield Main Street team’s Oktoberfest on Saturday, Sept. 9 packed both the Ridgefield Skate Park and Overlook Park for an afternoon of brews, wiener dogs, Bavarian outfits and more.
The event started with wiener dog races at the Ridgefield Skate Park. This year’s races were sponsored by the Portland Dachshund Rescue.
Ridgefield Main Street Treasurer Steve Coxen participated in the wiener dog races with his dachshund that he rescued through the Portland Dachshund Rescue.
“The races were great,” Coxen said. “This was the first time we have had them sponsored by the Portland Dachshund Rescue. Our little girl, Sadie, is from PDR. We’ve rescued our last three … it’s a good way to go,” Coxen added about Portland Dachshund Rescue.
The wiener dog race brought in hundreds of spectators, with 15 dogs competing. A few dogs used it as a costume runway, some got turned around or distracted, and a few dogs ran lightning-fast through the finish line.
After the dog races were over, spectators moved through downtown Ridgefield on their way to Overlook Park where live music was played from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. In a short time, spectators went to the Ridgefield Skate Park for a Cornhole Tournament hosted by the Ridgefield Chamber of Commerce.
To make sure there was plenty of beer, two biergartens were located in downtown during the event, one at Overlook Park and one at the event-filled skate park.
This year’s Ridgefield Oktoberfest marked the town’s eighth annual celebration of the Bavarian celebration that began on Oct. 12, 1810, to celebrate the marriage of the crown prince of Bavaria.
Ridgefield’s celebration also included a costume contest; plenty of Bavarian outfits filled the crowd.
“Today is a wonderful day in downtown Ridgefield,” said Marykay Lamoureaux, executive director of the Ridgefield Main Street Team. “The weather is wonderful, and it’s a great day to celebrate downtown. What we love about this particular event is that it has become a tradition. We have traditional music. We like to see people dancing, and the German food is great. We like the family atmosphere. It’s just a nice celebration.”
The Ridgefield Main Street Team celebrates Oktoberfest the second Saturday of September. Ridgefield even sticks to the Munich tradition of not allowing anyone to drink until the mayor taps the first keg.
