German flair on tap for Myrtle Beach Oktoberfest

The Oceanfront Merchants Association is putting a little more German into this year's Oktoberfest - including more German beer.

Jonathan Staton, president of the Myrtle Beach merchants' group, said plans are being finalized for the second annual Oktoberfest on Oct. 9, which this year features the Channelheimer Oompah Band from Augusta, Ga.

"The one thing Oktoberfest regulars said last year is that they wanted more German influence on the celebration, so this year, there are more German decorations, more German music and more beers," he said.

The oompah band and eight other bands will play throughout the day on the Ocean Boulevard stage.

This year's headliner is Cowboy Mouth, but Staton said there are acts for everyone, including reggae band Passafire; Carolina Liar, a rock band that performs on the soundtrack for "The Hills"; American Aquarium, an indie-rock-country band; The Mullets, a classic rock band; Athens, Ga., band Bloodkin; and more.

Ocean Boulevard is closed to vehicles between Eighth Avenue North and Mr. Joe White Avenue for the event, which runs from noon to 11 p.m., so that people will be able to meander through the area choosing their activities. People also can choose from German foods such as bratwurst, pretzels, kielbasa and more, and there will be a bratwurst-eating contest again this year.

The popular Kids' Zone, an alcohol-free area for children, will be part of the festival again this year. Staton said he's still working on arrangements for multiple TVs in multiple tents so that sports fans won't have to miss any of the football games on that day, especially the Gamecocks' game, which will be shown on a big screen downtown.

Last year, about 10,000 people attended the inaugural event, officials estimated, and Staton and other downtown merchants expect that number will grow every year as people find out what Myrtle Beach has to offer in the offseason.

"The weather is beautiful here in September and October, as well as in March and April," said Koribrett Turner-Vaught, executive assistant with the Downtown Redevelopment Corp., one of Oktoberfest's co-sponsors. "There's no reason those shoulder months shouldn't do very well as people find out about the growing list of activities and events."

She said the redevelopment agency donated $20,000 for Oktoberfest this year, the same as it did last year, and she's impressed with the festival OMA pulls together with its total budget of $90,000.

"They pay for all the advertising - and they'll do radio spots, billboards, fliers and Internet ads - the stages, the bands, the fireworks show, the beer, everything," Turner-Vaught said. "[Staton] must get some really good deals on those things. It's amazing what they pull off."

The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, by comparison, spent $127,000 on the Sun Fun weekend, which included events at Grand Park and in Surfside Beach, said chamber President and Chief Executive Brad Dean. The Beach Boogie BBQ festival will cost about $50,000 this year, he said, emphasizing that both of those festivals are paid for with private funds.

Dean said the chamber provides marketing support for OMA's events and has given the group $40,000 in private funds, mostly for fireworks shows, though OMA can use some of the money for Oktoberfest and other events.

This year, the city of Myrtle Beach donated $10,000 plus city services such as setting up and taking down barricades, trash removal and more. The city gave $20,000 last year.

Staton said he's still looking for some arts-and-crafts vendors for Oktoberfest and working out a few other details, but the festival is coming together well.

"We're just really excited about it," he said.