MAINE, N.Y. (WBNG) — A beloved church festival filled with tradition, live music and festive food returns this weekend.
Most Holy Rosary Church (2596 Main St.) is hosting its 49th annual Oktoberfest on Friday, Oct. 2, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 3, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Visitors can enjoy a wide selection of food, including Italian sausage, burgers, spiedies and pizza frites. An ethnic dinner will feature staples such as pierogi, halupki, halushki and kielbasa, along with indoor desserts and bake sales open until 9 p.m. each night.
“We have our takeout night. People pre-ordered. We have well over a hundred dozen halupki going out of here tonight in trays. So, we have really been doing a lot of cooking and set up,” said Oktoberfest Chairperson Jim Tokos.
Tokos said that volunteer preparations start in the summer and that events will proceed smoothly regardless of the weather.
“We started a couple of weeks… well, we start over the summer. We start purchasing our stuff, making our plans. We book the bands a year in advance,” Tokos said. “I know the weather forecast tomorrow has light rain. But you can see that we have the big tent. So, rain won’t deter anything here.”
Family-friendly activities include children’s games alongside evening luck-based games for adults in the garage.
“We have basket raffles; we have desserts over on this corner. The best bake sale is going in the back. You name it, we have it. There’s a lot of fun things to do here,” Tokos said.
Attendees 18 years or older can also enter a 50/50 super raffle with eight cash payouts up to $10,000. The drawing is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 4, at 10:30 a.m.:
First prize: $2,400Second – fourth prize: $1,200Fifth – eighth prize: $1,000
A $20 donation is required per ticket, and the payment will be based on the number of tickets sold.
Additionally, live musical entertainment is planned for both days:
Friday, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. – Bass & BrownFriday, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. – Frostbit BlueSaturday, noon to 1 p.m. – Maine Community BandSaturday, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Gordie GottliebSaturday, 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. – Jordan and Marisa LoretzSaturday, 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. – Broome County Celtic Pipe & DrumSaturday, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. – Brothers & Friends
“This is our 49th anniversary of Oktoberfest. So, we’re gearing up for the big one next year, 50,” Tokos said. “I think that you should come down and see everybody; feel free to talk, eat and go to the basket raffle. I think that there’s just a lot to do.”
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Dining and Cooking