MIDDLEBURY, Conn. – The 23nd Annual OKTOBERFEST is slated for noon to 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 27 and Sunday, Sept. 28, at Quassy Amusement Park here.
New features of the two-day event include at 5K charity run and variety of field games on Sept. 27 as well as a canine flying disc competition on Sept. 28.
Bands performing for the event, which is held in the Fieldside Pavilion at the lakeside facility are: Joe Stanky & The Cadets on Saturday and John Stevens’ Doubleshot on Sunday. Both bands hail from eastern Pennsylvania and have played for years at festivals, amusement parks and other large venues. The live music starts at 12:30 p.m. both days.
The Harugari Junior Schuhplattlers dance group will entertain during band intermissions on Saturday with the Alpenland Tanzer Dancers performing on Sunday.
Admission to the OKTOBERFEST pavilion is free, with fees for food, beverages, rides and attractions in the park. Parking for the event is $6 per car. Quassy Amusement Park is located at 2132 Middlebury Road.
Traditional festival food in the pavilion will include knackwurst, bratwurst, sauerkraut, potato pancakes, roasted pork and steamed vegetables. There will be a variety of other menu items available as well during the two-day festival. Complete dinners or individual entrees will be sold.
5K Charity Fundraiser
The 5K Charity Fundraiser will benefit a variety of non-profit organizations in the region. Participating charities will receive $10 for each runner who pre-registers under the organization’s name. The $20 pre-registration is currently active online at https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07e9jy5fv6cbf2f868&oseq=&c=&ch= or by going to the events page at www.quassy.com and clicking through to the registration page under the OKTOBERFEST listing.
Runners will register at 10 a.m. at the park on race day with a noon start for the 5K. A poker run will also be part of the event with a variety of prizes.
Adult and family field games will start at 2:15 p.m. with awards at 4:30 p.m. Contests will include three-legged races, pumpkin toss and keg toss.
Barktoberfest Flying Disc Competition
The Yankee Flyers Dog and Disc Club will present Barktoberfest in the great lawn area of the park on Sept. 28. Onsite registration starts at noon with the competition slated to run 12:30 to 6 p.m. The event will feature an UpDog Challenge, a combination of disc and agility for all levels of competitors, according to Yankee Flyers President Corinne Brewer, who is coordinating the competition.
Pre-registration is also available online at www.yankeeflyers.com.
About The Park
Quassy Amusement Park is in its 105th year and features more than two-dozen rides and attractions. The lakeside property is also home to “Splash Away Bay” waterpark with the new “BulletBowl” water raft ride and “FreeFall” extreme body slides. In addition, a children’s splash pad titled the “Fish Pond” opened this year.
Quassy also features a new laser maze attraction in its huge arcade building.
Rides include the award-winning “Wooden Warrior” roller coaster, “Music Fest,” “Yo-Yo” super swings, “Free Fall ‘N’ Drop Tower,” “Grand Carousel” and more.The park also has a restaurant, redemption arcade, games, live entertainment and special events.
Season passes for 2015 are on sale now at the park office and through the Quassy Web site at www.quassy.com. Company picnics, school fieldtrips and other catered events are also being scheduled through the park office at 203-758-2913.
Quassy is located at 2132 Middlebury Road, Route 64, in Middlebury, Conn., on the shores of Lake Quassapaug.
