Jessica Tam

The sixth annual Oaktoberfest, hosted by Firestone Walker Brewing Co., is being held at the Avila Beach Golf Resort this Saturday, Oct. 16, to raise money for Hospice of San Luis Obispo.

Oaktoberfest is a mimic celebration of Munich, Germany’s famous cultural festival, Oktoberfest. The event started in 1810 as a celebration for the King’s wedding and became so popular that the party took place again the following year and eventually became a tradition. In Germany, the event is held for a period of 16 days and is one of the world’s largest fairs.

Modeling the Germans’ annual festivity, Oaktoberfest is designed to provide people with the Bavarian experience, centering on the customary Bavarian attire, German food and most notably, the beer. Following tradition, Firestone Walker Brewing Co. is supplying the beer and is aiming to live up to the festival’s customs.

“Firestone brews their own Oaktoberfest beer every year. We’re trying to make it (the most) authentic German Oktoberfest (as possible),” Firestone Walker Brewing Co. events coordinator Evan Dyer said.

Not only is Firestone Walker providing the beer, they are also partnering up with Hospice of San Luis Obispo, a volunteer-based facility dedicated to helping the community by providing free counseling and emotional support to anyone dealing with grievances. A portion of the proceeds will go to Hospice.

“Firestone wanted a signature event and partnered with Hospice. Since (Oaktoberfest) started, it has been a charity event,” said Katie Manley, the event coordinator for Avila Beach Golf Resort. “There is no set goal (to how much we can raise). We always try to raise as much as we can; it is based on ticket sales.”

The charity event will mimic Oktoberfest as close to the German original as possible, featuring various games and contests.

“We try to keep (Oaktoberfest) pretty traditional; we are definitely mocking the (Oktoberfest) festival,” Manley said. “We’re having the beer olympics, which includes events such as a keg toss, barrel roll and the stein race. There will also be a costume contest (for participants) who are best dressed in lederhosen or dirndl.”

Nevertheless, the festival will include some differences compared to the event held in the previous years.

“It used to be held in Paso Robles at River Oaks,” Dyer said. “We moved it because Paso is usually around 100 degrees this time of year. Also, Avila Beach Golf Resort is nicer weather, better scenery and near the beach.”

Not only has the location changed, but ticket prices have been reduced from $45 to $15.

“Last year, we included lunch in the ticket price,” Manley said. “This year, that will not be available. The ticket price covers admission into the event, free shuttle service, a half liter beer stein and your first beer.”

This event has already attracted the community, especially students at Cal Poly. For some it will be their first time attending the event, while others, like mechanical engineering senior Toni Vi, are excited to relive the festival.

“Last year was my first year going, and it was exciting to experience the celebration of a different culture,” Vi said. ”It was fun to see some of the games, especially the keg toss. I’m definitely going back (this year) to experience it again.”

Tickets are available online at www.oaktoberfest.com for $15 per person in advance or $20 per person on the day of the event. Attendees must be at least 21 to attend.

CONTACT:

Katie Manley

805-595-4000 ext. 508

Email: Katie@rossi-ent.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Firestone Walker Oaktoberfest Coming to Avila Beach October 16^th!

AVILA BEACH, CA — Firestone Walker Brewing Co. is preparing for its sixth annual Oaktoberfest, which will be held at the Avila Beach Golf Resort on Oct. 16, 2010. The event has raised more than $50,000 for Hospice of San Luis Obispo in past years.

This year, along with the location change, Oaktoberfest tickets will be just $15 allowing even more brew fanatics to enjoy a bevy of Firestone Walker beers. “We are so excited to be bringing this great event to Avila Beach,” said Jamie Smith, Firestone’s Marketing Manager. Oaktoberfest is one of the most unique festivals on the central coast with events like the Beer Olympics featuring crowd favorite keg toss and bands such as “Trio Internationale.”

Participants are encouraged to attend the event in lederhosen or dirndl as prizes will be awarded to the best dressed guy and gal. The event will kick off at 11 am and buses, courtesy of Pacific Beverage Co., will be available to transport people to and from the event. Included in the $15 ticket price, is free shuttle service, a commemorative half liter beer stein, your first beer and admission into the event. Tickets are $20 the day of the event.

Tickets are available online at www.Oaktoberfest.com, at Firestone Walker Brewing Company (Paso Robles and Buellton) and Hospice of San Luis Obispo’s office. More info can be found by visiting www.Oaktoberfest.com or by calling Avila Beach Golf Resort at 805-595-4000 ext. 508.

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Firestone Walker’s Oaktoberfest Set For October 16

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Annual Oaktoberfest draws crowd Saturday

Posted: Monday, Sep 29th, 2008

Julia Bluff 9-30-08

Revelers cheered wildly and lifted their steins skyward as representatives of Firestone Walker Brewing Co. tapped the barrels of their special Oaktoberfest IV brew to kick off the Paso Robles event on Saturday.

Paso’s Oaktoberfest is modeled after the most famous Bavarian festival, Oktoberfest, which is held annually over the course of 16 days in Munich, Germany. Traditional Bavarian garb, hearty German food and, of course, free flowing beer are staples of the yearly celebration. The North County’s own Bavarian extravaganza, held at the Paso Robles Hot Springs & Spa, was no exception as lederhosen and dirndl adorned carousers chowed down on schnitzel and raised their frothy-topped steins in celebration. The more than 850 partygoers raised their glasses for a good cause on Saturday as proceeds from the Oaktoberfest event were earmarked to benefit Hospice of San Luis Obispo County.

“Events likes this make it possible that we can make every service that we provide free to the community,” said Katie Manley, Hospice event planner.

Hospice of SLO County provides a wide spectrum of non-medical respite and support programs, grief, loss and wellness counseling for those living with a life threatening or terminal illness, those grieving the loss of a loved one and community members wanting to explore end-of-life and quality of life issues, according to its Web site, www.hospiceslo.org.

“Without events like this, we would have to charge,” Manley said.

The event, presented by Firestone, Estrella Associates and the city of Paso Robles, got its start four years ago as a small celebration in the parking lot of Firestone Brewing Co. Less than five years later, the daylong event has evolved into a destination of choice for local beer enthusiasts who travel from as far south as Santa Maria and as far east as Shandon to attend.

“It was kind of a little dream that turned into a big event,” Manley said.

While Oktoberfest events are held in various other locations around the county, Manley said that the Paso Robles celebration was among the most unique. Saturday’s Oaktoberfest blended German tradition with the Central Coast’s welcoming spirit and originality. Firestone Walker Brewing Co. representatives kept busy throughout the day topping off steins with five different varieties of meticulously crafted Firestone brews. The most highly anticipated of these drafts was the special Oaktoberfest IV brew. The massive ceremonial barrels were carted into the Paso Robles Hot Springs grounds by a horse drawn carriage procession. The Oaktoberfest IV beer was brewed in August by the Firestone brew crew specifically for the event.

Paso Robles’ famous wine community also got into the Bavarian spirit of the event, doling out some of their German varietals for the hundreds of attendees. Nine area wineries — nearly double the wine garden turnout as last year — sampled their Rieslings, Gewurztraminers and Lemberger wines.

“Paso Robles wine country is about wine so we are incorporating the Germanic part of it,” said Katy Smith, Firestone Vineyards tasting room manager. “[These wines] are grown here in California, produced and bottled here in California, but we are mimicking the German style.”

Though less common on the Central Coast than the traditional cabernet and zinfandel fare, the Germanic varietals have gained popularity in recent years due to their “extremely food friendly” nature, Smith said.

In addition to the impressive collection of drafts and vintages, Oaktoberfest provided near constant entertainment to the attendees. The music of the polka sensation Trio Internationale provided a festive background to the event. The Pismo Beach-based polka band performed a hodgepodge of classic rock, reggae and country tunes translated into the polka tradition, often with hysterical results.

With its humorous, competitive fare of barrel rolling, stein racing and keg tossing, the annual Beer Olympics were also a hit amongst festival goers.

Saturday’s sweltering weather did nothing to deter hundreds of people from rolling up their lederhosen and participating in the fourth annual beer Olympiad with enthusiasm and gusto.

“The Beer Olympics, I think, is the star of the event,” Smith said.

Atascadero-natives Ashley Wright and Jaime Smith went head to head in the barrel racing competition. Jamie looked to be a shoe-in for the win before a race stumble caused her to roll over the barrel, dirndl and all.

Despite the topple, both of the women characterized the barrel racing event as “way too much fun.” Earlier in the day, the duo also tried their hands at keg tossing.

“It was a lot of fun, and really kind of nerve wracking, because it seems like more a male kind of thing, but it was very fun to do,” Wright said.

“It is a lot harder than it looks,” Jaime added.

While Wright was participating in the event for the first time, it was Jaime’s second time attending Oaktoberfest — and Beer Olympics is a part of what makes the event great, she said.

“It was so much fun last year,” she said. “I just love that they have all the activities and obviously, the beer is awesome. It is just an overall great time.”

The event closed out with an awards presentation and a performance by reggae band The Kicks. Sober rides were provided by the Wine Wrangler.

Last year, the Oaktoberfest event raised $20,000 for Hospice of SLO County and organizers hope that an even greater amount will come out of the 2008 celebration.