OCTOBER 14-20, 2009 UCW 9
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM
STEPHANIE CRIDER, Staff Writer
COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or e-mail
Stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com
Liederhosen. Dirndls. Alpine hats. Bratwurst mit pommes and an oompah
band. Have you guessed? It's time for Oktoberfest! Oct. 22 - Nov. 1 the Ft. Bragg
Fairgrounds will be fi lled with rides, yummy food, entertainment and — you are
invited to come be a part of the fun. Just to be clear, according to Rhett Stroupe,
event coordinator, this is a family friendly event — one that will be packed with fun.
"In trying to keep with the Oktoberfest theme, we have a German oompah band
(the Holz Hackren Band) opening for us on the 22nd and closing on the 1st," said
Stroupe. "Then, as far as crowd favorites go, we have The Fifth, which is playing on
Saturday the 24th. And back by popular demand we have a a group called Love Gun.
It is a Kiss tribute band — very, very popular. It is to the point where people thought
it was the real Kiss group."
The entertainment is
a well rounded offering
of talent. Country
entertainers,Clayton Curry
& Contraband will be
performing, as will Craig
Boyd and Southland. The
Fifth and Love Gun will be
rocking the Oktoberfest too
with Time Machine Band
from Raleigh rounding out
the mix, all on different days
of course.
There will be rides, rides
and more rides. In fact this
event is about as big as the
fair they had this spring —
that had 30 rides, this will
have 25.
"They range from kiddie rides to the thrill rides," said Stroupe. "Our admission
prices includes unlimited rides. We don't nickel and dime parents every time junior
wants to ride something — it is all included up front."
The carnival, which brings concessionaires with them, will be offering typical
fair food items like cotton candy, candied
apples and pizza. Being Oktoberfest
though, Ft. Bragg MWR is bringing in
additional vendors who specialize in
German cuisine. They will be serving
things like schnitzel and bratwursts. There
will even be a vendor that specializes in
German desserts.
The event is open to the public and
parking is free.
"It is easy access to
the general public," said
Stroupe. "They enter the
fair grounds via Howell St.
There are no check points,
no delays or anything like
that."
Customer Appreciation
Days are Mon. - Thurs.
from 5 - 7 p.m. with
admission prices of $5 for
those 3 and up. After 7 p.m. entrance fees are: $10 general admission,
$8 for kids 3-9 and military/DoD civilians, $5 handicapped non-rider
and senior citizen non-rider (50 and older).
Fri. - Sun. general admission is $14, children 3-9 and military
and DoD Civilians $12, $5 handicapped non-rider and senior citizen
non-rider (50 and over). Through out the Oktoberfest price includes
admission and unlimited rides. Children younger than
three and under 36" tall are admitted free every day.
Gates open at 5 p.m. on weekdays and 1 p.m. on weekends.
This is a rain or shine event, no refunds will be given for inclement
weather.
Call 396-6126 for more info or
visit www.fortbraggmwr.com.
Ft. Bragg Oktoberfest: A Family Affair
by STEPHANIE CRIDER