Thousands of neighbors headed to Flag Pole Hill over the weekend for Oktoberfest Dallas.
Red performs at Oktoberfest Dallas 2024.
While scorching temperatures reaching the high 90s have plagued daytime activities in the past, highs remained in the upper 80s on Saturday as Oktoberfest attendees browsed the Vector Brewing Market Village and sampled bites from eight different food vendors. Temperatures cooled in the evening as cover acts, tribute artists and local bands took the Tate Gorman Memorial Performance Stage.
Exchange Club organizers say while attendance didn’t quite reach the record highs seen at last year’s Oktoberfest, more than 5000 people stopped by the event by the time performances concluded in the evening.
“We think it was a big success,” Exchange Club Oktoberfest Brad McCutcheon said. “We think it was another very successful Oktoberfest. We had great weather. We had a great turnout.”
Events on the main stage kicked off before 4:30 p.m. with a flag presentation by the Lake Highlands High School ROTC Color Guard. A performance by local cover band Jukebox Heroes followed as organizers prepared for the annual keg tapping and stein holding contest starting at 5:30.
Red, a Taylor Swift Tribute, which had been credited with driving record attendance last year, took the stage around 6 to open for disco cover band Superfreak, the headliner for this year’s Oktoberfest Dallas. Superfreak, after two hours of covering 70s classics like “YMCA” by the Village People, wrapped up their set around 10 p.m.
“They did a fantastic job for us as well,” McCutcheon says. “Everybody said that they enjoyed the show.”
Gates opened 12 hours prior at 10 a.m, although some White Rock Valley neighbors made their way to the Burger Schmurger tent beforehand, where Lake Highlands neighbor Dave Culwell and his staff began churning out “breakfast smashes” around 8 a.m. Culwell, who opened his first brick-and-mortar on Buckner Boulevard in May, debuted the “Leiderhosen”, a smashed-patty burger served with a split bratwurst, sauerkraut and spicy mustard, at the event.
He says Burger Schmurger’s tent sold over 1000 burgers total, a pop–up record and an increase from 700 last year.
“It’s so fun because you get to see the people who’ve been in our first pop ups and our regular customers and now our new brick and mortar,” Culwell said. “So, yeah, it’s good because all of Lake Highlands and Lakewood is here.”
Other food options included the “Braterosa,” a house-smoked bratwurst served with pulled pork, sauerkraut and mustard, from Strouderosa BBQ, festival bites from Cedar and Vine, and seafood from Aw Shuck’s. Greenville Avenue Pizza Company, a new addition to the food lineup, brought a mobile pizza oven specially ordered from New York for the event to churn out standard pies and a specialty Oktoberfest Pizza covered with sauerkraut, of course.
GAPCO pizza chefs work a mobile oven specially ordered for the event. Photo by Austin Wood.
Craig and Veronica Bradley of Vector Brewing, who joined Samuel Adams and Oak Highlands Brewery as beer vendors for the event, organized the Vector Brewing Market Village for the third consecutive year. The pair have relationships with many local businesses as the brewery often hosts vendors for markets during events like this weekend’s Hausfest at its Lakeridge Village home. Of 25 vendors at the Market Village on Saturday, Veronica estimated 20 returned from the previous year.
“If they say it goes well, then it went well.” Veronica said. “And I like to think it’s a big draw for folks, because it gives it something else to do. Like your kids are in the kids area, you visit all the sponsor tents, and now you get to shop and support small and local businesses.”
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- Antojitos Alday’s tent. Photo by Austin Wood.
In the kids zone, bounce houses, carnival rides and student groups from Lake Highlands High School provided entertainment for neighborhood children. From LHHS, groups like the Highlandettes, LHHS Folklorico, the Wranglers and LHHS Cheer showed off their skills for the younger crowd.
The daytime lineup of activities gained a new addition this year with Oktoberfest’s first ever cornhole tournament. Attendees were also able to pack into the Festival Hall to hear acts like LHHS garage band Way Down Under perform. Way Down Under was followed by Mr. CJ’s Band, who brought polka flair to the tent.
As the afternoon wore on, despite slightly cooler weather from last year, many attendees stuck to the shade.
“It’s great. Every year we sit in the shade and then sit back watching the people go by,” Brian Staples, who sat under a tree with his wife, Melissa, said.
For those with a vested interest in both shade and Saturday’s College Football slate, the Oak Highlands Brewery Bar returned for another year filled with screens, despite the brewery’s move to Richardson over the summer.
“With Oak Highlands moving locations, and seeing them still be such an integral part of Oktoberfest, it’s just a good reminder that they’re still a neighborhood business. They’re still going to be around Lake Highlands,” McCutcheon from the Exchange Club said. “They may have relocated a little bit north and got that great space. We’re really happy for them that they had the opportunity to do that.”
The Kids’ Zone. Photo by Austin Wood.
While McCutcheon said the Club has had a down fundraising year in a challenging economic environment, sponsors like Walne Family Holdings, the BAR Group and Hargrave Family Law helped the club’s biggest fundraiser finish on a positive note as the organization looks towards scholarship disbursement in the spring.
“It’s become such a part of the fabric of the community,” McCutcheon said. “The Exchange Club is really proud to put it on. It is our biggest fundraiser, and supports our scholarship program and our community grants program, which the community has really wrapped their arms around and embraced.”
