The Arts Council will kick off Gainesville’s first annual Oktoberfest on Saturday, Oct. 1 at the Smithgall Art Center.
Oktoberfest is a traditional German beer festival that was first celebrated in Munich in 1810. Many other countries and states throughout the U.S. host their own Oktoberfest events throughout September and October.
According to Gainesville Arts Council Executive Director Pamela Wiliams Lime, Gainesville and Hall County community members have had to travel out of their way to enjoy the beer-flowing festival. Lime spoke on WDUN’s Newsroom to promote the Art Council’s event, which will be free.
“We noticed that the closest Oktoberfest event is about 45 minutes to an hour away from here,” Lime said. “We thought we’d try to get some partners together, like Tap It, to try a first annual Oktoberfest and see if the community turns out and appreciates the opportunity. Not just to experience the different beers that we're bringing in, but also investing in the food trucks and local businesses, and putting together some community art projects… It's a great way to bring the whole community together in the Downtown Gainesville area.”
Lime said the Arts Council is not usually known for creating large community events, and Oktoberfest will allow the Council to showcase the arts in a different way.
“We want to be aware of what those opportunities are [and] what the community would like to see us do to serve the entire population,” Lime said. “So you'll notice that we're working with other arts and culture nonprofit organizations, but you'll also notice that we're working with business partners in the community to sort of provide additional opportunities in exposure for small businesses.”
Gainesville’s Oktoberfest will offer a community art project, live music and kids activities, in addition to what Oktoberfest is best known for – its beers and German-inspired food.
There will be more than 20 beer vendors, from the Gainesville-based Liquid Nation to Athens staple Creature Comforts. Additionally, attendees will be able to purchase meals from food trucks and small food presenters, like King of Pops and Southern Baked Pie Co.
The event will kick off at 11 a.m. with its family-friendly and kid activities. Adults and kids alike will be able to pitch in with the creation of a giant paper mache scarecrow and some pumpkins. The scarecrow will be on display for several weeks in downtown Gainesville, and community members can submit names for the scarecrow over social media.
While families work on the scarecrow, students from the Let There Be Rock School will perform. There will also be traditional German music from 1 to 3 p.m., performed by Alpenfest Musiker German Music.
As the day goes on, even more performances will follow. Rockabilly Gainesville favorites The King Daddy Polecats will get the crowd on their feet from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.. Then, headliner The Jonathan Moody Band will take to the stage from 6 to 9 p.m. to play a unique blend of Americana, folk, pop and classic country.
“Jonathan Moody is really an interesting group,” Lime said. “He is out of the Atlanta area, but his band is a really well-experienced [group] of great musicians from around the region. They have performed all around the country. We've never had them come to Gainesville,so it'll be a new Gainesville experience. But I think in what they're presenting, it's a little bit of something for everyone, no matter what your music interest is.”
The Arts Council hopes to host more future events and performances like these at its Arts Council Performing Arts Complex. This facility is based in the former First Methodist Church of Gainesville, which was purchased by Lessie and Charles Smithgall and given to the Arts Council in 2004. However, the historic building has been unusable in recent years.
“Approximately a month ago, we started on a project,” Lime said. “We had gone through the process of finding a historic architect to do a facilities assessment, on both the church building and that annex building that is connected to it. [This was to] identify everything that has to be done to restore the church and potentially that other building so that we as an organization can use it. But it can also be used for other community projects and performances.”
Lime expects they will receive the assessment information in mid-October, and then the Art Council’s Board of Directors will start discussing what steps need to be taken to move forward.
Lime stressed that she wants the Arts Council to continue partnering with other arts and culture organizations in the community.
“We were very fortunate to be partnering with the Quinlan and Brenau University,” Lime said. “There are a lot of other institutions that, if we work collaboratively, we could do some job sharing and help each of those organizations with their budgets so that they're spending a lot less money on operating and more money on their mission and vision for their organizations. Ideally, that's what an Arts Council does. I think that that's one of the things that our board is trying to get us back to focusing on. It's not just helping us do what we do as an organization, but being more cognizant and supportive of other arts and culture organizations.”
For its Oktoberfest, the Arts Council is still looking for volunteers. You can sign up here to help with the fall festivities and see more information about what kinds of food, beer and activities will be available.
You can listen to the full Newsroom interview by clicking the Soundcloud link above.
