Our Daily Show Interview! St. Mary's OktoberFest: THIS WEEKEND
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ALTON - St. Mary’s Catholic Church and School will host its annual Oktoberfest this weekend.
This community staple includes fun for adults and kids of all ages. Starting at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, with a 5K run and one-mile fun run, families can also enjoy games, inflatables, live music, a silent auction, adult gaming, food and drinks until 11 p.m. on Friday. The fun continues from 1–11 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12 and 12–8 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024.
“The community gets together and has a good time,” said Carolyn Simansky, one of the organizers of Oktoberfest. “It means a lot. This is our biggest fundraiser all year long. It helps our school. It helps our parish.”
The weekend’s festivities kick off at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11, with the 5K and fun run. St. Mary’s is also sponsoring a “Beer Dash,” where participants have to keep a full cup of beer from spilling as they maneuver around a course. The Glendale Riders play from 7–11 p.m. on the main stage on Friday.
The “big kickoff” is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, when one lucky parishioner will tap the keg. Ryan, another organizer, noted that the first keg of beer is “traditionally free,” and he emphasized that the beer is the official Oktoberfest beer of Munich, Germany this year.
“We’re open on Friday, of course, but our big kickoff is at 1 o’clock on Saturday when we tap that keg,” Carolyn explained. “It’s a good time to be down there. You can get a free beer.”
After the keg tapping, St. Louis Express will play from 1–4 p.m. on the main stage, and Dixie Dudes will play from 1–4 p.m. on the festival stage. Lady Luck will play from 7–11 p.m. on Saturday on the main stage.
On Sunday, community members are encouraged to attend Mass at 6:30 a.m. or 8 a.m. at the church, or at St. Mary’s special “Mass in the Grass” service at 11 a.m. at Garfield/Barth Park. The fun then begins at 12 p.m. with Big Shake Daddies taking the festival stage from 12:30–4 p.m. and St. Louis Czech Express from 12:30–4 p.m. on the main stage. The night concludes with Flip the Frog from 5:30–8 p.m. on the main stage.
Kids of all ages are encouraged to stop by and play the $1 games. You can also purchase a wristband for $25 for one day or $35 for two days for the inflatables. A Teen Zone is set up for middle schoolers and high schoolers to enjoy. There will also be face painting, colored hairspray, pumpkin painting and more.
Adult games for people 21 and older will also be available throughout the weekend, including chuck a luck, the 50 states wheel game, and adult darts. People can also purchase Oktoberfest merchandise at the grounds.
The silent auction and basket raffle will close at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13. St. Mary’s is also sponsoring a sweepstakes with a grand prize of $10,000. Winners will be announced on Sunday evening, and you don’t have to be present to win.
All proceeds from Oktoberfest go back to the school and parish. Ryan and Carolyn noted that there are a lot of fun elements to St. Mary’s annual Oktoberfest, and they hope to see new and familiar faces from around the Riverbend community. They’re still looking for volunteers; click here for more information about volunteering.
“We also look for volunteers, so if you’re someone who is eager to engage in Oktoberfest, you want to be a part of the festivities, we’d be happy to have you,” Ryan added.
For more information about St. Mary’s Oktoberfest, including a full schedule of events, visit the official St. Mary’s Oktoberfest website at StMarysOktoberfest.com.
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