Octoberfest

Winners of the costume competition.

October Was A Fest And A Fright—And A Lot Of Fun

By Fran Odyniec, Former Villager Editor

In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, a couple of festive afternoons out in the cool fall mountain air may have been just what the Village needed. On the weekend of October 10th and 11th, LLV held an Oktoberfest, complete with an Oompah band, pretzels, birch beer and regular beer.

The festivities started on Saturday with a Turkey Trot Golf Tournament at the Chalet golf course, organized by Bob Gettis. The game was played in pairs and was a perfect start to the day. As usual, there were loaner clubs for those who needed to borrow them. The Tomaselli team won first place, the team of Henkel and McClure came in second, and the Pace team was third.

The LLV Recreation Committee brought in the seven-piece Schutzengiggles Oompah Band that more than set the tone for the afternoon at Locust Lake on Saturday Oct. 10. Playing before LLVers who showed up with beach chairs or laid claim to festively decorated round tables, the band brought the music of Bavaria and the Alps as well as a sampling of contemporary tunes to the shores of Locust Lake. “It was easy to see and hear how great this band was, and how much the audience enjoyed them,” said Recreation Committee co-Chair Pat Holohan. “You best believe it that we look forward to bringing them back for next year’s Oktoberfest.” There were also “seasonal” refreshments for all ages that accented the festivities.

“We couldn’t have an Oktoberfest without beer,” said the committee’s cochair Carrie Pohl. “Our tap system worked very well to everyone’s satisfaction.”

Lion’s Head Pilsner from the keg was set at a twocup limit which sat well with the folks lining up for their taste of the hops. And on their way to the beer table, they could pick up soft pretzels to go along with their brew. There was a moment towards the end when the beer keg spout malfunctioned, but we were saved by a villager who brought a spout from home and we once again could serve the thirsty crowd. Next year the Rec Committee will have to get more beer.

For the under 21 crowd or the young-at-heart, free birch beer from the keg was available. And the younger set kept themselves busy with pumpkin decorating and crafts in the picnic table section as well as games on the beach.

“The dedication and work of our volunteers really made the Oktoberfest a great success,” commented Holohan. “From decorations, to stuffing pretzel bags, to running the kids’ games and crafts, the volunteers were simply spectacular not to mention the oompah band.”

As the day turned to night, a horror film was presented at the Pavilion. An occasional and chilling breeze swept through and around the 25 folks who dared to brave the dark and sit on the edge of their seats through the foreboding movie “Halloween.”

On Sunday afternoon carvers took over the Pavilion when they came to compete with pumpkins of every size and in grizzly as well as cute dimension.

Carved prior to arrival,

John Smith (Most Original)

Nicole Clark (Scariest)

these creations captured

Scott Poluchuck (Most Technical) Plague Doctors The Templeton Family