Fairfield Bay gets ready for fall festivals
FAIRFIELD BAY — With autumn having officially arrived, the community of Fairfield Bay is patiently waiting for scarlet leaves, cool breezes and festival season.
Oktoberfest, Kids Fest and Story Fest will take place all day Saturday at the Fairfield Bay Conference Center.
Wilba Thompson, director of the Conference Center, said having all three festivals on the same day will give festivalgoers a wide variety of activities from which to choose.
“We are jam-packed this year with fun for all ages. Oktoberfest will feature genuine German food, plus food vendors for everyone’s enjoyment,” she said. “We will have an Oktoberfest celebration featuring the Sean Sikes Band, beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday. We will
start by rolling out the barrel and having the Grand March.”
Thompson said rolling out the barrel is a classic tradition.
“We roll a barrel out while the band plays ‘Roll Out the Barrel.’ The Grand March is used to get everyone in the spirit. We start a snakelike line with your hands on the person’s shoulders in front of you; then the line forms at the end, and there is a London Bridge effect that happens at the end of the Grand March,” she explained.
The day will kick off with a Lions Club pancake breakfast at 7:30 a.m., followed by an arts and crafts show at 9 a.m.
The Heber Springers Square Dance Club will perform at 11 a.m., and the Left of Center Band will provide live entertainment at noon.
The evening will feature contests, games, a magic show, dancing and music, she said.
Thompson said the free magic show will take place at 4:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center.
Thompson said Oktoberfest was the largest festival in Fairfield Bay for many years, and when the Conference Center reopened in 2013, organizers were determined to bring back the event.
German food will be served from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the festival, she said, and will include bratwurst, German pot roast, apple-and-plum-stuffed pork loin, cucumbers with dill salad, sauerbraten with spaetzle, and German-chocolate-cake brownies.
Thompson said Story Fest will be broken up into morning and afternoon sessions— one at 9:30 a.m. and one at 1:30 p.m. — and will feature professional storytellers Laura Simms and Michael Reno Harrell.
Tickets for Story Fest cost $10 in advance or $15 at the door, according to a press release.
Kids Fest, which will run from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., is set to keep kids entertained with face-painting, princess carriage rides, clowns, free games and prizes, pony rides, bouncy houses and a free petting zoo.
Vikki Ziajor, communications director at the Fairfield Bay Conference Center, said she loves everything about Oktoberfest.
“If I had to pick a favorite thing about the festival, it would be when the Sean Sikes Band starts playing ‘Roll Out the Barrel’ to start the fun, games and dancing in the evening. We actually do roll out the barrel,” she said.
Ziajor said she looks forward to meeting vendors and checking out the unique goods they’ll have up for grabs.
Vendors will sell hand-crafted items, jewelry, children’s books and more, Thompson said.
“This year, we have really added to Kids Fest. We have a Cinderella carriage and pony rides this year, in addition to several free things for children to do,” she said.
Volunteers put in a lot of hard work to make the event a success each year, she said, donating their time and talents all over the city.
“We want to make it fun for everyone to come and enjoy themselves,” Ziajor said. “It’s so important to give back to the community, and I believe Oktober Fest is a good way to do that.
“Fairfield Bay is a gem in the Ozarks nestled on Greers Ferry Lake. Come visit us — I think you’ll fall in love.”