Operation Oktoberfest is a success for St. Armand's church

St. Armands Key Lutheran Church celebrated Oktoberfest on Saturday with beer, bratwursts and a band. 

Renovations to the dining hall were finished just in time to hang blue and white checkered flags and invite the community for a traditional German feast.

“The goal was to have it done for today,” Congregational Council President Steve Gunderson said.  

A divider was removed, new flooring was installed and the walls got a fresh coat of paint. Oktoberfest was a great incentive to get the job done on time, or more than 150 people would’ve been disappointed. 

Eight extra tables were set up in the dining hall to accommodate walk-ins. There was a bar serving German beer and wine and a buffet of German meats from Geier’s Sausage Kitchen, a Sarasota German meat market and deli.   

Dressed in lederhosen, a five-piece band played in the courtyard. Guests danced and swayed their beer bottles back and forth to the music. Minister of Music Michael Bodnyk encouraged a sing-along by printing German to English translations of Oktoberfest classics such as, “The Hofbrauhaus Song.”

This was only the church’s second Oktoberfest, but it’s likely to become an annual event. 

“It’s obviously something people love,” Gunderson said. “We’re about twice as big as last year.”