St. Mary Our Lady of the Lake's Oktoberfest tradition started way before we moved to Lago Vista. Some of the aspects of it change from year to year, but overall it remains the same in two areas:
1. it's a lot of fun
2. it's the main fundraiser for our small church
Those are two good reasons why you and your family should come visit us between 10 and 3 this Saturday, if you are anywhere near the Austin vicinity.
All proceeds benefit church organizations, such as the St. Vincent de Paul Society, who use it to help the disadvantaged in our community, provide scholarships, finance youth activities, and support local first-responders, the Lago Vista Volunteers, seminarians, and more.
Sure, I know ACL is going on downtown. But if you're looking for something to do for the whole family, away from the craziness of Zilker Park during ACL, look no farther. This is it!
There will be games for the kids, with prizes. Games for adults, with prizes. A zipline for the kids. A classic car "show and shine" for all ages.
Inside the church you'll find a silent auction, handcrafted items, baked goods, and frozen casseroles (although those sell out fast so you need to get yours early! You can pay for it and pick it up when you're ready to leave.)
We'll have a dunking booth and a washer tournament, of course. What's a small town festival without those?
Come hungry. We're offering bratwurst, turkey legs, hamburgers, hot dogs, giant soft pretzels.... lots of choices!
Of course, there will be beer. What's an Oktoberfest without beer? Live Oak Brewing Company, which is Austin's oldest brewery, has agreed once again to donate plenty of keg beer for the day, and Capital Wright Distributing is donating plenty of Miller Lite, Coors Light, and St. Pauli Girl beer.
By the way, thank you for your prayers for Father Joe. He passed away soon after I wrote my last post, surrounded by his family.
This year's Oktoberfest will be bittersweet because of his passing. He pastored the church for forty years, guiding it as it grew from a small gathering of ten families in a rustic campground building to an established parish caring for over 300 families.
He saw Oktoberfest as a way for the parish and community to come together for a good cause, and get to know each other as one family in the process. That was always very important to him.
Rest in peace, Father Joe.
So come on down and help us make it the best ever!
St. Mary Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church, 6100 Lohman Ford Rd., Lago Vista, TX
Saturday, October 10 from 10 am to 3 pm
If you can't join us on Saturday, please say a prayer for a successful Oktoberfest, and continue to pray for Father Joe's family. Thank you!
