Oktoberfest a Success in Fredericksburg!
Capital Ale House Oktoberfest beer stein
Capital Ale House of Fredericksburg held their first Oktoberfest last Saturday, October 3, and it was a success! Capacity crowds were reached by about 1pm causing a bit of a line to form outside the picket fence around the event. As people left, new Oktoberfest attendees were allowed in. The free beer steins were available until about 8pm. (I’m actually surprised they lasted that long!) Three types of German beer were served, Lager, Hefenweiser, and an Oktoberfest special brew. The Lager was the most popular selection and the Lager kegs ran dry around 9pm. Capital Ale House served their entire beer menu inside the restaurant during the event. For $8 or $14 you could choose from a selection of German dishes. The weather was great, the beer was great, the food was great, and the atmosphere was fantastic!
The overall feeling of the crowd was that Oktoberfest was an event they would like to see get bigger and incorporate more downtown merchants. From what I could see, far more people ventured into downtown Fredericksburg throughout the day and into the night than usual. Many of the other local restaurants benefited from the overflow crowds of the event. Basil’s, located a few doors down from Capital Ale House, remained busy the entire event. My group ventured up to Castiglia’s for lunch, a few blocks south of Capital Ale House. The majority of the lunch goers at Castiglia’s had their Capital Ale House beer steins with them. Spirit’s Bar and Grill even filled the Oktoberfest beer steins for a reduced rate!
As owner and operator of The Silver Spider, located in the 900 block – I welcome events that bring folks into our City. All too often I hear people say they very seldom go downtown. There are so many events we could and should be supporting to bring the surrounding population into our City where they will find great food, entertainment, and shopping that is not over priced and accompanied by friendly and caring shop owners.
The downtown merchants have struggled to be heard by the City for years, and now that an event is actually scheduled and proven to bring bodies by our doors, let’s say “Thank You” and what can we all do to make it better and more successful next year.
Karen – Thank you so much for commenting. It is wonderful to hear from a shop owner who sees the advantages of downtown festivals. I’m making a push to support all of the downtown merchants that advocate for events like Oktoberfest. I already support your store and have since I moved here. You are my first stop for Christmas gifts every holiday season! I would love to feature your store in a blog post. Please feel free to email me if you are interested!
Most of these merchants, that are against closing the street, are missing the big picture when it comes to events like these. More events will eventually bring more and new patrons to downtown the rest of the year. Yes, Mr Walker of Walker Homes had one day where his sales were down. But what about all the possibilities that he will receive increased store traffic the other 364 days out of the year (maybe 363 if he is closed on Christmas) from all the people that will start coming downtown more often due to these types of events.
I for one hope this event, and others like it, can be expanded next year. Maybe even close down 2 or 3 blocks on Caroline St and get many of the restaurants and bars to participate, not just Capital Ale House.