Davis Rotary Club hosts 18th annual biergarten in Central Park
By ELIZABETH BUNT — arts@theaggie.org
Grab your steins and bratwursts because Oktoberfest is coming to town. On Oct. 26 from 6 to 9 p.m., the Davis Sunrise Rotary Club will be hosting their 18th annual festival downtown at Central Park.
This year’s entertainment will include performances by the Grand Isle Fire Brigade, a German oompah street band, as well as axe-throwing and steinholding competitions. The event will also host a silent auction with prizes announced at the conclusion of the festival. Auction items have been donated by the Pacific Auction Company and local Rotary Club members. Proceeds from the auction and ticket sales will go to the Yolo Crisis Nursery, a non-profit organization that provides free childcare to children up to the age of five.
Tickets are available on the Davis Sunrise Rotary Club website until Oct. 23. General admission is $40 online and $45 at the door; student tickets are discounted to $30 online and $35 at the door. Ticket prices include a provided dinner: bratwursts, potato salad and sauerkraut, as well as a vegetarian version of the same meal. Each ticket purchase also includes a beverage.
Attendees are encouraged to sample and purchase beers on tap, which have been handpicked from eight different local breweries. There will also be wines, pretzels, desserts and non-alcoholic beverages available at many of the booths throughout the venue.
In past years, this event has raised up to $30,000 to give back to the community, making it one of the Davis Sunrise Rotary Club’s biggest and most successful yearly events.
Aside from Oktoberfest, the Davis Sunrise Rotary Club hosts weekly meetings for sunrise biking, which is how the “Sunrise” chapter earned its name. Every week, over 80 members meet at 7 a.m. at the University Park Inn at 1111 Richard Blvd. The club prides itself on being a force of improvement in the Davis community. When not handing out beers and sauerkraut at Oktoberfest, you might find club members planting flowers in the UC Davis Arboretum, working locally for Meals on Wheels and Yolo County Food Bank or hosting a trivia challenge fundraiser.
The Sunrise Rotary Club makes a particular effort to give back to youth in the wider Yolo County area by promoting literacy as well as supporting many high school clubs and organizations in the community. Additionally, they also offer a Student of the Month award, celebrating students from Davis Senior High School, Da Vinci Charter School, King High School and the Davis School for Independent Study who have been nominated by their teachers for their work ethic and good citizenship.
The Yolo Crisis Nursery is the chosen recipient of this year’s Oktoberfest proceeds. The funds raised will aid victims of child abuse and provide safe and nurturing childcare for families that would not otherwise be able to afford it. Reign in this fall season on a positive note and purchase your tickets for Oktoberfest if you haven’t already!
Written by: Elizabeth Bunt — arts@theaggie.org
