Benicia Human Services Board has made a major switch for its fundraiser this year — from wine to beer, said Mike Caplin, chairperson.
Instead of a wine tasting event out of town, the board has decided to have an “authentic Oktoberfest celebration” at the Benicia Clock Tower.
In fact, the event is so authentic, Caplin said, it’s taking place in September.
The date, Sept. 28, has raised a few eyebrows, Caplin said. But it’s legit.
“In Germany, they start Oktoberfest in September,” he said.
In Germany, where the event is considered one of the largest fun affairs in the world, Oktoberfest is a 16-day food and beer celebration that in Munich starts in late September and wraps up the first weekend in October.
The Human Services Board Oktoberfest will be a single-day event, but it will feature many of the same things that make the German festival popular, Caplin said.
There will be food, including such traditional fare as bratwurst, sauerkraut and German-style potato salad, as well as dessert.
707, a Benicia-based soft-rock band, will entertain, and Caplin said he’s also searching for an accordion player who can play music one might hear at a German beer hall.
And, of course, there will be beer.
Caplin said two German-style craft beers have been chosen through DBI, the same distributor that Benicia Main Street uses for its events.
One, by Napa Smith, in Napa, is a deep copper-colored amber lager called Crush.
The other beer will be coming here from Mendocino, Caplin said.
But Germany also has wines, and those attending the Oktoberfest also may choose from a Riesling, a white grape wine, and a red wine Caplin said the board will select soon.
“This is an event we’ve put a lot of thought into,” he said. While the Human Services Board has had success with its wine tastings at Winterhawk Winery in Suisun Valley, the panel would get asked why it didn’t have an event inside Benicia’s city limits.
Changing the venue also gave the panel a chance to try out a new theme, Caplin said.
“To the best of our knowledge, there hasn’t been an Oktoberfest for a while,” he said.
“The best I can remember it was 20 years ago,” at the Benicia Historical Museum, back when it simply was called “The Camel Barns.”
“We wanted a more creative theme, and Oktoberfest fit with autumn,” he said.
Sponsors are helping with the costs of the event, Caplin said. They are Valero Benicia Refinery, Benicia Plumbing, First Mortgage Corporation, Alex’s Auto Repair, Featherer Pet Supply, Huckleberry’s, Windsor Valley, Soroptimist International and Frances Harkins, CFP-North Capital.
Tickets are $30 per person or $50 for two, and cover the cost of a meal package and one glass of wine or beer.
Additional beer and wine as well as tickets for drawings will be sold at the event, and those attending also may participate in a silent auction, Caplin said.
Tables, seating eight, may be purchased for $200.
Money raised at the Oktoberfest event will help Benicia Community Action Council, Families in Transition, Catholic Social Services, Benicia Unified School District’s Special Friends program and Children’s Nurturing Project, particularly its child assault workshops.
Tickets are available at Benicia Main Street, 90 First St.; Earthly Nutrition, 872 Southampton Road in the Southampton Shopping Center; at the Benicia City Hall Finance Department in City Hall, 250 East L St.; at the city’s booth Thursday afternoons during September in the Benicia Certified Farmers Market at the foot of First Street; and online through Brown Paper Tickets, www.brownpaper tickets.com.
The Benicia Human Services Board Oktoberfest will take place from 1-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, at the Benicia Clock Tower, 1189 Washington St.