Chris Watson, Staff Writer
What could be more fun than a day at the Oktoberfest celebration at Camilla Hall? After spending an afternoon at Oktoberfest, I learned the answer to that question: absolutely nothing! Oktoberfest is a yearly festival that is held at Camilla Hall, the Convent Home and Healthcare Center of the Sisters, Servants of the IHM. The festival is an amazing celebration that offers home made items, food, drinks and overall a great day to spend with family and friends. But, most importantly, the event benefits the IHM Sisters. Almost all proceeds from the event go straight to Camilla Hall, aiding the Sisters that have given up their life to benefit others. There cannot be a much better cause than that.
Since this was my first time going to Oktoberfest, I was a little unsure of what to expect. But one of the first things that jumped out at me was the community aspect of the festival. As you walk through the different booths and tents, you see old friends reminiscing and catching up, families walking side-by-side taking in the sights and new friends meeting one another. All of this was happening despite the on-and-off rain that was occurring throughout the day. When asked about how the weather was affecting the event, one of the main planners of this event, Sister Denise, had this to say, “It’s going the way it goes every year, Unique people are still coming and eating despite the rain. Every year isn’t going to be a perfect year. This year was still successful.” And successful it was! Almost every Sister that I talked to said that it was a great turnout this year. They also all said that they were having fun. Which is of course, the only important part of the event.
In fact, despite all of the fun that everyone was having at the event, it was still evident that this was all about the Sisters. To be honest, the Sisters seemed like they were bringing all the fun! Sister Marie and her fellow worker Michele stated, “it’s a social event for the Sisters as much as everyone else, it’s important for people to understand what we do, and what Camilla is all about.” I definitely think that Oktoberfest was successful in fulfilling that goal.
At the end of the day, despite all of the fun that everyone was having, this event was for the benefit of the Sisters at Camilla Hall. Every Sister that I interviewed made sure to point that out. I think it is amazing that such an enjoyable, community event can act as a fundraiser, as well. Sister Marie stated that it’s “as much of a social event as it is a fundraiser.” Sister Denise said, “it’s a FREINDraiser and fundraiser.” Sister Catherine and Monica also pointed out that how happy they were to be able to give to Camilla.
A lot of people spend a lot of time and effort to make sure this event goes off without a hitch, so if you have not ever been, come on down and give it a try. There is so much fun to be had, and so many fun things to purchase and activities to do. There are also many fun people to meet as well. (I met a guy in an Eagles costume. GO BIRDS!) So, if you want to have a lot of fun with your friends, as well as new friends that you may make along the way, come to Oktoberfest next Fall. To quote Father Gurlach, Saint Simon and Jude Priest, a frequent of Oktoberfest: “Stick to Immaculata, she’ll stick to you, and then you’ll go to Heaven.” That sounds like a good deal to me!
