Another year and another Oktoberfest whirled by. We’ve all been anticipating it so much that it’s hard to believe it has already come and gone. There was some fear that the weather would not cooperate with us at first. There was some rain in the morning that caught us all off guard but that soon cleared away and we were treated to a lovely, warm evening that brought out the community in droves to Honolulu Avenue.
Crowds swarmed to both of our stages – at Oceanview and Wickham Way, respectively – where they got to listen to the German-American Brass Band on one end and Mike Perry’s band, Tidal Wave, on the other. The air was fragrant, too, with delicious food. We were treated to delicious strudels and brownies courtesy of Montrose Bakery. Of course, Oktoberfest just can’t be Oktoberfest without Schreiner’s superb bratwursts.
What truly makes the Montrose Oktoberfest special, though, is the way it brings people together. Think of it as a sort of annual town reunion. Old friends chat away, new friends meet, and memories are created. It was heartening to see just that last Saturday: elderly folks swaying along to the brass band, young people clustered about in joyful chatter, and families spending time together.
The Montrose Oktoberfest was, once again, a success thanks to the cumulative efforts of our corps of volunteers, each of whom worked tirelessly. Oktoberfest took the hard work of our committee to come alive – none of them earned a check for planning this community event. On top of that, scores of volunteers worked the booths, sold souvenirs, helped place signs
and build booths. Without their efforts, Oktoberfest could never have been possible. So thank you
to our Oktoberfest committee and our chairman, Scott Trulik, for putting together a superb Oktoberfest. Thank you to our dear friend, Laurie Jo Philipps, for amassing the much-needed volunteers. A special thank you goes to the Montrose Shopping Park Association for its cooperation in allowing us to keep the carnival rides up and running on Sunday as well.
Together, we made Montrose the place to be last Saturday. I look forward to next year’s Oktoberfest!
Follow the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce via our Facebook page or our website at www.montrosechamber.org.
Our offices are open Mondays through Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Call us at (818) 249-7171 or email me
at tayala@montrosechamber.org.
For all your shopping needs and more make your destination Montrose!

Ted Ayala is the executive director of the Montrose-Verdugo City
Chamber of Commerce.

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