Early Oktoberfest celebration proves success despite rainy weekend
The inaugural Oktoberfest Celebration at Cape Harbour was a success despite the weather, which forced organizers to move the festivities indoors on Saturday afternoon.
Attendance numbers were less than expected because of the weather, but organizer Bob Mulroy expected that more than 1,000 people had a chance to experience the fun over the three-day event.
Friday was good, Mulroy said, and things got off to a quick start on Saturday but an early storm and late afternoon rain forced the event from outside in Cape Harbour’s promenade, to inside to at The Joint, one of Cape Harbour’s many restaurants.
“Friday was a great start but right now I’d rather get inside and try to make the most of it,” Mulroy said.
Authentic German food was served in The Joint, and real German beer was served in the promenade while people danced to live music.
U2 cover band U.V. was the featured performer, and Harley Davidson of Fort Myers auctioned off a brand new bike for charity, which benefited the March of Dimes.
The weather was a factor for Autumn Graves, 10, but she was having a good time listening to local German band, Haffenkaple, play traditional German music in the promenade.
“I had fun listening to the music, that was my favorite part,” she said.
The inaugural Oktoberfest Celebration was a natural extension of the many successful events at Cape Harbour, which included the recent Sharkfest, and their highly attended New Year’s celebration, the only community-wide New Year’s celebration in Cape Coral.
“This seemed like a natural progression from our New Year’s ever celebration, which everybody has a great time at,” Bob Mulroy said.