Oktoberfest 2011 - Event

There are several European car events that claim the same name as Munich’s famous beer festival, and the latest is organized by Bernie Chacon and his cohorts at dubNation.

You might recognize Bernie Chacon’s Mk6 Golf TDI from et 12/1

The idea is to get Los Angelenos out of the city and into the hills for a German-themed Oktoberfest car show and party over a three-day weekend.

It starts on Friday morning with a cruise through the scenic mountains around Big Bear Lake, stopping for lunch and finishing with a meet & greet.

The following day is the main show at the Snow Valley Mountain Resort, which includes People’s Choice judging plus an air-ride contest, limbo and Twinkie-eating. The day ends with the official Big Bear Oktoberfest event across from one of the host hotels.

Finally on Sunday, there’s a cruise, some slide fun and the trek back home.

Ron Nicholas and Monica Freda really got into the Bavarian spirit!

The concept is good but the problem with LA is people don’t like to travel far, and the worst winter we get is if it rains a lot. We can pretty much get together any weekend of the year, so having a final hurrah before the winter arrives might seem a little redundant to some. Perhaps for this reason, the show was sparsely attended, but those present were the hardcore of SoCal Euro enthusiasts who were prepared to enjoy each other’s company in the very pleasant mountain surroundings.

As with any Euro event across the country, air-ride is now the dominant factor, and both AccuAir and Air Lift had sponsored the event, along with fifteen52, 8380 Labs, Rotiform, OEMplus, etc.

Cars on display ranged from hot rod air-cooled to stanced Mk6s, with everything in between. There was a good turnout by the old school crowd, with some immaculate Mk1s and 2s on display, as well as a handful of Volvos, Minis, BMWs, etc.

Hopefully, Oktoberfest can persuade more of LA’s rather complacent Euro enthusiasts to make the commitment for 2012 and build this fledgling show into the Wörthersee of the West (good name – it’s copyrighted here!).

For more information, visit the OktoberfestEvent page on Facebook.