Oktoberfest Committee Readies for Fall Event

Mike Motz, Sidney Sun-Telegraph

The Oktoberfest Committee met on February 16 to discuss preliminary plans for the 2023 event that will occur on October 6, 7 and 8 this year.

After reviewing leftover business from November's meeting, the group agreed on paying out the last expenses from last year's Oktoberfest. They also discussed enhancing their website to make it easier to navigate, provide more information and by more usable by participating vendors.

There was a discussion about the needed resurfacing of the dance floor for the stage, and hopefully enlisting the help of Sidney High School students on the project. The discussion also went over possible places that the resurfacing could be done, weather at the fairgrounds or 4-H building.

The group discussed the revamping of the website, and the difficulties hosting a website without a debit or credit card. A group member would have to put the cost on their own personal card, then submit for reimbursement, which creates delays and another payout process. The group decided to obtain a Debit Card for the organization, to use for hosting their website and other incidental purchases.

The group also discussed marketing and advertising, and debated on the merits of spending significant monies on advertising in area Travel Guides and other publications. Member Marguerite Pool showed the group the new logo she designed for Oktoberfest, and they agreed to use it for their marketing and advertising campaigns.

They also talked about vendor applications and giving first preference to vendors who participated last year, and not requiring vendors to participate for all three days, making Sunday optional for vendors. They also approved a set of corn hole boards with Oktoberfest logos and décor to be made for the event. For more updates, please check the Oktoberfest Facebook page at Oktoberfest-Sidney, NE.