Wish You Were Beer: Hollin Hills Holds Annual Oktoberfest Celebration
The party animals of Hollin Hills — i.e. pretty much all of us — dusted off their dirndls, laced up their lederhosen, and headed down to the pool on October 10 for the Civic Association’s annual Oktoberfest party — one of the biggest (and beeriest) events of the year.
An ancient Hollin Hills tradition (it dates to 2013, when founders Jaelith Hall-Rivera and David Rivera unleashed it on an unsuspecting Civic Association), the much-loved bash lets the Germanophiles, beer-ophiles, and oompah-music-ophiles of Hollin Hills dress up in their most entertaining outfits and feast on bratwurst to their hearts’ content, while the Mount Vernon German Band serenades us with “Edelweiss” and a rousing assortment of polkas.
Well over a hundred Hillers — including at least a dozen kids, who entertained themselves in the pool’s grassy picnic area — attended this year, and managed to demolish a mountain of brats and two full tables of potluck salads and desserts. The adults diligently drained the beer supplies and hashed out the pressing issues of the day (or, you know, just gossiped) while the Friends of Hollin Hills manned a table displaying their new historic house plaques. There were blessedly-short welcoming speeches, colorful flower crowns and Alpine hats of every description, and an impressive selection of personal beer steins brought by the true Oktoberfest faithful, who put them to good use.
All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon of Gemütlichkeit (if you’ll pardon my French), down to the last morsel of sauerkraut. Many thanks to everyone (especially the fashionistas) who came, and to CAHH Social Chair Susmita Dastidar and the other volunteers who pitched in to make it a Munich-worthy event!
A gorgeous crowd turned out for the Hollin Hills Oktoberfest celebration, including (left to right, top to bottom): the irrepressible Jolande Goldberg, in red; Chelsea Rutherford, CAHH vice-president Seth Styers, and Teddy; a flower-crowned Roxy Hoveyda; Dennis Carmichael, Ann Ashley, and Laura Kistler; Alene McMahon and Adam Rozan; CAHH parks chair Dan Schulke, with Alene McMahon and Chris Kitzmiller; the illustrious Mount Vernon German Band; CAHH social chair Susmita Dastidar and hubby Eric Stromayer; Jane Runnels and Jan Derevjanik helped the Friends of Hollin Hills with the new historic house plaques; Jenna Benyounes delivers brats and dogs; kids at play in the pool’s grassy picnic area; and Tom Kuester, who would never let a little shoulder surgery interfere with a good time.