This weekend, Quassy Amusement and Water Park celebrated its 30th annual Oktoberfest.
From 11 a.m to 5 p.m., Oktoberfest was hosted in the Quassy Fieldside Pavilion where German food was cooked, beer was served, and Lichtensteiner Polka music was performed live to dance and tap feet to.
Quassy Amusement Park first opened in 1908 in Middlebury, Connecticut. It was originally a trolley stop between Waterbury and Woodsbury. It wasn’t until 1937 the location became an amusement park because of the growing entertainment people were having there before.
Oktoberfest is known as the largest beer festival in the world starting in 1810. The festival takes a two week period that was first celebrated as the wedding of Prince Ludwig of Bavaria married Princess Therese of Saxony. It is now celebrated as a way to give good luck to growing crops in October.
Parking for the event costs $10, and entering the park is free if people were interested in going to the festival.
The event was enjoyable for both adults and children. Parents were able to eat and drink with other parents while the kids could go into the park to go on rides. Kids could also take part in the event by taking part in pumpkin decorating.
“The best part is hanging out with the kids,” said Doug Hamlin, a guest who has been coming to the festival for fifteen years. “Let the kids run around in the park while the parents are allowed to hang out and live it up a bit.”
The set-up for the event was to make sure there was enough space for everyone. There were tents and tables outside the pavilion to make sure guests were part of the action.
“I’ve been working here for twenty years,” said Tracy Johnson, a Quassy Employee. “It gets easier and easier every time we set up for the event.”
Quassy was one of the few locations that hosted Oktoberfest this year because of COVID-19. It’s the second year in a row where Germany had to cancel Oktoberfest due to the concerning spread of COVID-19.
Other attractions families could attend are the rides, stage performances, and food served at stands. The attractions that were most popular amongst the crowd were the Quassy Express Train, the Tidal Wave Swinging Ship, and the Wooden Warrior Roller Coaster.
As Oktoberfest comes to an end, Quassy will begin setting up for their next event starting on Oct. 8. “Terror at Quassy.” It will be an event too scary to miss out on.
