It was a land of moonbeams and fairy-tales as the huge tent glowed under a clear October night sky, and The Franklin Lakes Youth & Recreation Foundation once again recreated an Oktoberfest that has become an important part of Franklin Lakes culture.
The impressive floral displays, the many partyers dressed in old school German garb, and the traditional German dances all made for a great time celebrating traditions old and new.
The original Oktoberfest was held in 1810 to celebrate the wedding of German royalty, but the Franklin Lakes event is held to supplement the needs of the local recreational facilities and programs. In the past the Foundation has donated uniforms and equipment to local teams, and one of the major efforts this year is to help pay down the debt on the Pulis Avenue turf field.
The volunteer effort for this event was led by Jeanne Patrican, Laurie Burnette, Dave Catuogno, Michael LaPorte and Rick Meier; and aided by private businesses such as The Market Basket, Colony Florist, Reno’s, BMW, TDBanknorth, and McBride Realtors, along with many others listed in the handbill below.
The Autumn chill in the evening air dissipated upon entering the tent, and this was mostly due to a sense of warmth and community that circulated amongst the jovial crowd. The many male attendees wearing lederhosen were probably the most pragmatically dressed as they heated up the dance floor with German folk dances.
The females who wore dirndls may have felt a bit warmer, but it did not slow anyone down as the crowd kept the floor packed. The German Oompah band started off the night getting people into the spirit with some folk dancing, and then Crisis hit the stage rocking into the night with a litany of old and new Rockn’ Roll.
As mentioned below, special recognition was given to the Franklin Lakes Recreation coaches. The dedicated, volunteer effort port forth by the coaches provides not only an exceptional recreational program, but also instills the best values of sportsmanship.
Additional funds were raised through a silent auction which, fittingly enough, included sports memorabilia like signed photographs, luxury suite tickets to the new Yankee Stadium, and an authentic SuperBowl football signed by Phil Simms.
We encourage readers to check out the handbill below which better describes the work of The Foundation, and also take note of the sponsors who helped make the event a success; their names appear after the “WillKommen” statement.
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