Oktoberfest to be staged at St. Paul’s this Saturday

Fresh from a church expansion/renovation and one year removed from a curtailed fundraiser due to COVID-19, St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Greencastle will host its seventh annual Oktoberfest event this Saturday, Oct. 2.

Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, the event will unfold from 4-11 p.m. at 202 E. Washington St. with a variety food and activities.

“With our renovation and beautification project done, we’re glad to be doing Oktoberfest again this year,” spokesman Matt Welker said, noting that last year the church was only able to conduct a raffle due to COVID.

The idea behind the annual event has been to bring the community and the parish together for a day of fun and fundraising.

“Oktoberfest is a great festival for our parish, it serves as a homecoming for our parish, it also brings the community together. All are welcome at Oktoberfest,” Welker said.

Outdoor activities are planned in the church parking lot. The event features games of chance, raffle drawings, children’s activities, food, beer (both craft and domestic) and wine.

Food will include ribeye sandwiches, brats, hamburgers, porkburgers and two different kinds of sauerkraut with all of the meat from Myers’ Market.

“We’ve never raised our prices in our seven years,” Welker said, “and we’re proud of that.”

A special treat, Welker said, will be corndogs made by Rock and Mary Beth Kaiser using an original recipe from Rock’s family who owned a drive-in theater in Evansville.

Items like homemade desserts, cotton candy and kettle corn will also be available.

The beer garden will feature an Oktoberfest and IPA on draft with domestic beers like Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, Coor’s Lite and Sun King offerings available in aluminum cans.

Besides bingo, the church will also host a number wheel, pull tabs and a poker booth.

Raffle drawing prizes will include cash, Indianapolis Colts and Indiana University basketball tickets, as well as passes for golf, restaurant gift certificates and more. Raffle tickets are $1 each or six for $5.

Children’s activities -- including a bounce house obstacle course and pumpkin painting -- are scheduled from 4-8 p.m. Some of the games cost 50 cents but sidewalk chalk and a stamping station with pads and ink are free of charge.

While no tours of the church renovation and expansion are planned for Saturday, Welker said St. Paul’s is planning an open house in the near future.