Conceived by Wolves Club member Matt Walley in 2010, the Annual Ellwood City Oktoberfest turns 15 years old this year.
It started out as a fundraiser for the club with games, local brewers, craft beers and food. Donnie Iris, member of the 1970s band Jaggerz made an appearance in 2011 with samples of his beer King Cool Light. The event benefitted the Library, Christmas in the Park and Wolves Club Scholarships. In 2012, the Wolves Club built relationships with other service clubs in the area.
Norman Lazlo, Lions Club of Ellwood City said, “The service clubs getting together is a good thing. We do a lot of the same things and we can help each other by doing this together.”
Rotary Club of Ellwood City and the Lions Club joined in the Oktoberfest fundraiser, promoting the event, selling the tickets, making and serving food and helping with the raffles and silent auction, these three groups have grown the event from a couple hundred attendees to almost 900.
Pete’s Uptown is the official sponsor, owner Bryan Downs offers a selection of 100 craft brews for the tasting. Craft beers are beers from small or micro-breweries and each has its fans. Homebrewers will share their specialities as well. There are some very talented brewmasters in the area. Small samples will be served in 3 oz. plastic cups.
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No Oktoberfest is complete without food. And the Wolves Club do it with style. A combination of traditional German, Italian favorites and local specialties. Sauerkraut and kielbasa, meatball, sausage and pulled pork sliders, pepperoni puffs, fish, haluska, hotdogs and french fries and don’t forget the cheese for your pretzel are among the offerings. You won’t go away hungry!
Entertainment is always a staple to the event. Returning this year will be the Wrangler Band. They will be performing at the Folino Shelter from 1pm to 4pm. The band plays a variety of music, ranging from today’s top-of-the-charts modern country hits to yesterday’s classic 80’s rock. https://wranglerband.com/
While sampling the beer, wander over to the Silent Auction and Raffle Bucket shelter to take your chances on some awesome prizes. This year’s silent auction includes: Yeti coolers, Craftsman tool Box w/ tools, Stihl Weed Wacker, a fire pit, and Blackstone table top grills. These items and more are on display at the Ellwood City Candy Company. The Raffle Buckets include bottles of craft beers and extras in a beer bucket.
Oktoberfest is about community. The service organizations use the proceeds from Oktoberfest to go towards funding their various scholarships and service projects in the Ellwood City Area. An incentive for people to purchase their tickets early is knowing that a portion of their purchase will go towards a designated Charity. Previous donations were made to the Ellwood City Public Library, Club Hope, Ellwood City Fire Department ALS, All Aboard Ellwood to name a few. This year’s charity is the Carpenter’s Project (the Old Timers Ramp Crew). This multidenominational, intergenerational Christian mission program assists homeowners with exterior house projects, For one week in July teams of adults and students work together painting, power washing and providing carpentry to homeowners at no cost. What makes this organization unique is the helpers that come from many churches to provide much needed help to our community.
The 15th Annual Oktoberfest will be held on Saturday October 4th from 12pm to 5pm in Ewing Park, rain or shine. $30 presell or $35 at the door. Tickets are on sale at Pete’s Uptown Beer and Beverage, 1022 Lawrence Avenue, Ellwood City Candy Company, 715 Lawrence Avenue or any member of the Wolves or Rotary Club.
One of the best Oktoberfests in Lawrence County. Enjoy sampling great brews, eat delicious food, have fun with friends, family and neighbors. All monies raised help support the scholarships and service projects of the Wolves Club and Rotary Club of Ellwood City.
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