By Charly SHELTON

The 38th Annual Montrose Oktoberfest was held on Saturday in the 2200-2400 blocks of Honolulu. The event was a huge success, said Melinda Clarke, executive director of the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce.

“It was a great event,” said Clarke. “Lots and lots of people [attended] and we had the weather on our side, so that really helped. People started showing up right at noon and they just kept coming. [The committee] heard a lot of great feedback about the event and the fans and the food and beer.”

This year, the event welcomed between 20,000 and 25,000 guests throughout the day and into the evening. All together, the event sold 241 half barrels of beer, equating to almost 30,000 pints served.

According to Tahnee Lightfoot, spokeswoman for the Glendale Police Dept., there were two incidents reported. A 17-year-old intoxicated girl was taken to the Montrose substation where her parents picked up. A 21-year-old La Crescenta man was arrested for drunk and disorderly.

Looking forward to next year, Clarke said that there are always ways to tweak and improve the event based on community feedback.

“I’ve had a lot of people ask for vegetarian-type options and something other than pork,” she said. “We’re going to look into that because we’ve had quite a few requests [to expand the menu].”

  Charly Shelton