Raise A Stein At Chatham’s Oktoberfest Saturday

CHATHAM – If the Pumpkin People are in the park, Oktoberfest can’t be far behind.

The annual autumn celebration happens Saturday, Oct. 18 in Kate Gould Park, the adjacent parking area and the town offices parking lot in downtown Chatham. The free event features music, kids’ activities and lots of seasonal food and drink.

“The goal of the festival is to provide a free, family-friendly way to celebrate the beauty of the fall season in Chatham,” said Kristin Muller, who chairs the Chatham Chamber of Commerce and Merchants Association sponsored event. It’s a way for the organizations to give back to the greater Chatham community, she said. 

The event has grown in the past several years, expanding to a second location at the town offices from its original spot at Kate Gould Park. To accommodate the rising number of attendees, there will be free shuttles to Main Street from the Chatham Elementary School and Monomoy Middle School parking lots provided by City Brew Tours. Chatham Valet will also be operating shuttles at the Eldredge Garage.

Attendees will find several new activities, including an expansion of the “Kid Zone” that traditionally features games, face painting, balloon art and a roaming magician. New this year will be two dance parties: a Monster Mash Dance Party at 11:30 a.m. and at 1 and 2:45 p.m. a K-Pop Demon Hunters Dance Party based on the popular animated film. Both will be run by Pamela Schickler in the park.

“The dance parties are also a great way to break up the arts and crafts portions of the day,” Muller noted.

A few other tweaks have been made to the festival, she said.

“We have made minor changes to the layout this year to improve pedestrian flow, and we have added Cape Cod Winery as a vendor this year for those visitors who want something other than beer or seltzer,” she said. Along with craft and retail vendors at the town offices, a handful will be added at the parking lot next to the park.

Music continues to be a big focus of Oktoberfest. This year there will be two stages, one at the Kate Gould Park bandstand and a second at the town offices. At the park, the Lonely Parrots start things off at 11:45 a.m., followed by Monica Rizzo and the Round-up at 1:30 p.m. and Gracie Grace and All the Goodboys at 3:45. In between acts, at 3 p.m., there will be a yodel contest for those brave enough to try their skills.

At the town offices, Autumn Drive will take the stage at noon, followed by Bounce at 1:45 p.m. and the Aldous Collins Band at 3:30.

The Kids Zone opens at 11 a.m. with pumpkin decorating, followed by the Monster Mash Dance Party, face painting and glitter tattoos at 11:30, the K-Pop Demon Hunters Dance Party at 1 and 2:45 p.m., pumpkin bookmark crafts at 1:30 and a bubble party with music at 2. Ongoing activities throughout the day include balloon art, fishing for candy, and a Life of a Showgirl and K-Pop coloring contests.

Pour gardens will be open at both locations serving beer, wine and seltzer. Cape Cod Winery will be in both lots, and Whalers Brewing Co will be providing free tastings at the town hall lot, according to Muller. Other food and beverage vendors in the town hall lot include J Bar, Junior Betts BBQ, Good Times Ice Cream Truck, Elwoods Raw Bars, Chatham Shellfish Co., and Chatham Harvesters. In the lot next to the park will be the Mom and Pop’s food truck, The Captain’s Table, The Orpheum, Chatham Ice Cream Bars, Confetti Waffles and Shine Mobile Coffee.

A considerable amount of planning goes into the event, Muller said. “It quite literally takes a village,” she said. “We would not be able to host this spectacular event without the support of the local business community. From volunteering in various capacities to providing financial or in-kind support to the event, so many local businesses contribute to the success of Oktoberfest, and we are so grateful for their efforts.”

 Town officials, the select board, the police and fire departments and the DPW work closely with the event committee, she said, adding that there is still time to volunteer by emailing cmaevents@chathaminfo.com.