By Krista Starkovich
A good crowd of people turned out last Friday night, September 20th, for Jim Holbeck’s musical talents at the Silver Bay Lounge. Folks thoroughly enjoyed listening and toe-tapping along to his music. One of the locals even joined in and started playing the spoons. It was a real hit!
On Saturday, September 21st, Oktoberfest started off with the musical talents of Gavin LeBlanc and Friends. Everyone always seems to enjoy Gavin’s group.
Throughout the day and into the evening there were several activities patrons could participate in.
The Hammerschlagen was a fun and challenging competition. Hamerschlagen is a game in which participants compete against each other to drive nails into a wooden beam.
The stein holding contest left many contestants with sore arms and the bystanders with sore stomach muscles. The champions of the stein holding contest were Shawn Giusto from Eagan, MN for the male contest and Katie Foshay from Silver Bay, MN for the female contest. The entire contest was full of laughs and very entertaining. The stein holders had to get very creative in order to hold their stein the longest, contorting themselves into all kinds of positions.
A wide variety of Oktoberfest beers were available for everyone to try. The Maple Märzen from Castle Danger Brewery was a feature for the event. According to Castle Danger Brewery’s website, “Maple Märzen blends traditional German malts and hops with local maple syrup. The result is a rich and toasty malt flavor with a strong maple character.” There were also festive Oktoberfest headbands people could take to wear and other handouts from the brewery.
The amusing and comical Drunken Spelling Bee took place later in the evening, with Natalie Nelson of Silver Bay taking 1st place.
A shout out to everyone who participated in the Oktoberfest events last weekend at the Silver Bay Lounge. That is what makes the events so much more fun, special and enjoyable for everyone. Overall, there were lots of laughs and some great memories made over the weekend.
