Photography by Carol Toler
October — or perhaps more fittingly Oktober —has finally arrived in Lake Highlands. For Dallasites, it’s a time for breaking out sweaters, going to the State Fair or watching the Red River Rivalry.
In Lake Highlands, October also means the return of Oktoberfest Dallas, put on annually by the Exchange Club of Lake Highlands, who describe the event as their “Super Bowl.” Much like its other flagship event, the Fourth of July Parade — a Lake Highlands institution since at least the ‘70s — Oktoberfest has grown to become a near-holiday which draws thousands of attendees each year.
The Club
With over 100 nonprofit organizations operating in the Lake Highlands area, it’s fair to say the neighborhood places a certain value on service and philanthropy.
It’s a tradition that goes all the way back to when Lake Highlands was transitioning from a rural farmland to a quiet suburb in the middle of the 20th Century. The Exchange Club, founded in 1960, was one of the first dedicated service organizations in the area.
“The ways that we do [things] have changed a little bit over time, but at its core, the mission of Exchange Club has stayed the same, which is unity through service and making our neighborhood a better place to live,” says Brent Basden, a former president.
The organization awards tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships and community grants each year. Last year, over $125,000 in scholarships were awarded to 56 graduating Lake Highlands High School seniors, bringing their total scholarship contribution total to $3,177,850 over the last 25 years.
The group is modeled after the National Exchange Club, which was founded in 1911 as a place for individuals to “exchange” ideas on how to better their community. The main areas of activity involve supporting public education, first responders and child abuse prevention.
“We are able to say unequivocally,” Basden says. “All of our money goes back to our communities, whether that’s our kids, our first responders, our area nonprofits.”
Over the years, the Club’s Community Grants program has supported local elementary schools, the Audelia Road Branch Library and Box 4 Fire Buff Association, to name a few.
“About 10 years ago,” current President John Torres says. “Our community service budget was primarily geared towards sort of ad hoc support requests, and over time, we’ve evolved that into a formalized program where we give away significant sums of money every year to a wide variety of different nonprofits. We support a bunch of different organizations that fill a variety of different needs, including healthcare, homeless support, supporting first responders, such as Box 4, basically anyone that’s out there, helping our community, helping our neighbors, we would be inclined to support.”
The clubs’ grants and scholarships are funded through private donations and fundraisers, with the biggest taking place once a year in early fall at Flag Pole Hill.
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest Dallas, then Lake Highlands Oktoberfest, made its debut in 2010 at the Lake Highlands Town Center. As the years progressed, the festival expanded to include concert-style entertainment as neighbors’ enthusiasm for brats, beer and lederhosen grew.
Eventually, as the Town Center’s available space shrunk with construction and the event’s needs grew, the decision was made to move the event to Flag Pole Hill.
“It’s really an ideal location for us,” Basden says. “Just because of how much space there is and how many people we can accommodate. You know, when the weather’s nice, we have thousands of people coming out to Oktoberfest. That’s what we’re hoping for this year.”
Falling on October 5 this year, the festival now routinely attracts over 5,000 visitors annually.
One of the biggest draws comes from the festival’s musical lineup, which in the past has featured acts like Old 97’s, Charlie Robison and Bob Schneider. This year’s headliner is Cory Morrow, a red-dirt country musician who has appeared on the Billboard country album charts. But maybe the most-anticipated performance will be a timely ode to a pop culture phenomenon.
“Red, the Taylor Swift tribute band, is going to be opening,” says Brad McCutcheon, the Oktoberfest chair. “And we anticipate that being incredibly popular, just based on the ticket sales for other events in the area that they’ve generated. So we’re really excited about that.”
Photography by Carol Toler
The bands will begin playing at 6:30 p.m. on the main stage following the conclusion of the stein holding contest and keg tapping. Live music can also be found beforehand at the Oak Highlands Brewery Festival Hall, a large tent with long tables and bench seating reminiscent of Bavarian beer tents known as festzelts.
Beer and wine will be supplied by Sam Adams, Oak Highlands Brewery and Vector Brewing, which also sponsors the Market Village, where visitors can browse local vendors’ stands. Food vendors this year include Cane Rosso, Burger Schmurger, Cedar and Vine and Aw Shucks. Strouderosa BBQ has been entrusted with the all-important task of cooking the brats.
The kids zone will offer entertainment and activities for children. For parents who may want to bring their children during the day, and then return for the concerts at night, the wristband included in the get-in price guarantees admission for the rest of the event — regardless of whether or not someone leaves for an hour or two.
“People look forward to it. People look forward to bringing their families out,” McCutcheon says. “They plan their weekends around it. And so it’s just kind of become part of the DNA of Lake Highlands.”
Gates open at 10 a.m. and will remain open until 10 p.m.
