|
 As
seen in the Plano Profile:
Plano Sunrise Rotary Club to raise $50,000
at Octoberfest
“O’zapft is” OMayor
Pat Evans proclaims as she taps a keg of
bier to inaugurate the 5th Annual
Oktoberfest celebration. “O’zapft is” is
“It’s tapped” in Bavarian. Presented by the
Plano Sunrise Rotary Club, Oktoberfest is
October 16 at the Bavarian Grill. Guests
will consume large quantities of bier and
hearty fare such as sausage, hendl
(chicken), käsespätzle (cheese noodles), and
sauerkraut, as well as Bavarian delicacies
like roast ox tails.
Juergen Mahneke, owner
of the Bavarian Grill, is looking forward to
the celebration. “This time of the year is
always very exciting,” he said. “We started
out five years ago with an all-you-can-eat
smorgasbord of sausages ... with potato
salad and sauerkraut. This year we are
planning to add an “Ochsenbraten,” a giant
standing steamship round of beef, and
“Schweinskrustenbraten,” slow-roasted pork
with a crispy, crunchy skin.”
Born in Braunschweig,
Germany, Mahneke has been the owner of the
Bavarian Grill for 12-and-a-half years. He
was recognized in 2004 by the Plano Chamber
of Commerce with the “Small Business Person
of the Year Award.”
Mahneke and
Oktoberfest chair Richard Biggers have been
involved in the Sunrise Rotary Club for more
than six years.
This is Biggers’ first
time as chair of Oktoberfest. He and his
committee have worked since January to
solicit sponsors and organize the event. He
said, “This will be our first year to hold
the event on Monday night, to allow us to
have the entire facility at the Bavarian
Grill. We are excited about the ability to
host more people at the event. We anticipate
500 participants this year, making it the
largest to date.”
Will there be music?
“Yes,” said Mahneke. “We will feature one of
our accordion players and the 12-piece
Kleine Blasmusik Brass band. They play at
the Bavarian Grill every second and fourth
Saturday throughout the year.”
A silent auction will
feature about 200 items. “Some of the items
include Waterford crystal, a Japanese
folding screen, custom chrome rims, Dewalt
power tools, a power mower, several fine
wines, home decorations, and gift
certificates to local merchants and
restaurants,” said Biggers. “We have had a
tremendous response to our auction every
year, and expect this year’s to be one of
our best. We encourage everyone to come and
get their Christmas shopping done early.”
Raffle drawings will
render prizes such as a trip to Germany, a
month of wine, dinner for 20, and a trip to
Santa Fe.
Proceeds from
Oktoberfest will benefit My Friend’s House,
Collin County Assistance Center, and Rotary
International projects. Said Biggers, “We
believe in the Rotary motto, ‘Service Above
Self,’ and look forward to Oktoberfest
knowing that what we do will have an impact
on the people we try to serve.
“We have set a goal of
raising $50,000 for the charitable endeavors
of our beneficiaries. This money will have a
definite impact on the future of our
children, local community, and international
extended community.”
Oktoberfest is Monday,
October 16 from 5 - 9 p.m. at the Bavarian
Grill, located at 221 West Parker Rd. in
Plano. Tickets ($30 per person) include
dinner plus three 12 oz. servings of
Bavarian Bier, or three glasses of house
wine, or three other drinks from the bar.
For more information, visit
www.planosunriserotary.com or
www.bavariangrill.com.
A Sip of
Oktoberfest History
Every year, some 6 million people converge
on the 64-acre grounds of Theresienwiese in
Munich, Bavaria, Germany for Oktoberfest.
The first Oktoberfest took place between
October 12 - 17 in 1810 when Crown Prince
Ludwig married Princess Therese of
Sachsen-Hildburghausen. A great horse race
was organized and the Crown Prince
commissioned all of the Munich breweries to
create a new style of beer for his wedding
celebration. The first annual Plano Sunrise
Rotary Oktoberfest was October 24, 2002, and
$9,000 in proceeds helped Elbe River flood
victims in East Germany as well as Rotary
International to support the eradication of
polio. More than $78,000 has gone to
international and local charities such as
The Assistance Center of Collin County, CITY
House, and Plano Children’s Medical Clinic.
Pictures
of the
4th
OKTOBERFEST 2005
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STARTING UP
GETTING READY
PRESIDENT RICHARD made
it an official meeting with a
Prayer, Pledge and 4-Way Test.
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JUERGEN MAHNEKE, owner
and operator of the Bavarian
Grill, where it all happens. |
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LOTS OF FAMILY MEMBERS
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AUCTION CHAIRTHING, Judy
Jackson was busy all
evening. |
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BRYAN
HUMPHRIES AND ROD HOGAN
thought that "Will Call'
meant to use your cell
phone. |
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THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF
AUCTION ITEMS laid out on Red
,White and Blue tables.
PLENTY OF FOOD
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RANDY
AND DIANA WRIGHT were
dressed for the occasion and
left in their new golden
chariot. |
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SILENT
AUCTION BIDDING kept the
crowds flowing around the
tables. |
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GUESTS, GUESTS AND MORE
GUESTS!
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RANDY
PLUMLEE AND RICHARD BIGGERS
individually and in concert
trying to keep it all
together. |
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GEORGE
ELKING AND DOUG RAY
diligently selling raffle
tickets. |
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NOT
EVERYBODY CAN DO
everything, but everybody
can do something. |
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The
2003 raflle winners wrote:
Ten
days in Germany, free -- what more could you
ask for?
This was a wonderful way to see the country,
especially if you have never been there. We
had a guided tour around the country
starting along the Rhine through many
terraced vineyards to Koblenz ( Juergen¹s
wife Elke is from here) where the Rhine and
Moselle rivers meet. Next we went to Cologne
to visit the mighty cathedrals before going
on to Bremen, the oldest sea port in
Germany. We spent our Anniversary in Hamburg
which is one of the world¹s greatest
harbours before heading to Berlin where
there is so much history. We saw what was
left of the Wall separating East and West
Berlin, Check Point Charlie, the Brandenburg
Gate and took a stroll down Kurfustendamm
described as the “longest coffee shop in
Europe”. Before arriving in Dresden we
stopped at the Colditz Castle the most
famous prisoner fortress used during World
War II. Continuing on we started our journey
along the Romantic Road on our way to
Bavaria¹s capital, Munich. Of course nobody
can go to Munich without having a liter of
bier at the Hofbrauhaus and for the history
people a trip to Dachau concentration camp.
At the southern tip of Germany we had a stop
at Neuschwanstein and Lake Constance,
Europe¹s largest freshwater reservoir,
before heading into the Black Forest where
they make some of the most beautiful clocks.
Our last city before heading to our final
destination of Frankfurt was Heidelberg,
Germany¹s oldest university town. Don¹t get
me wrong, it was not all just sightseeing,
we had plenty of time for shopping and
tasting of the local biers and wines.
Ben & Barbara McWilliams
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New
for 2006
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