Rocktober Rules The Beach (Weekly Surge)

Rocktober Rules The Beach

By Kent Kimes - Editor

I only went to one of the city of Myrtle Beach's official Oktoberfests and I think it was in 2001 at the baseball stadium that was then known as Coastal Federal Field.

A buddy of mine and I went, we surveyed the crowd of mostly senior citizens sitting under tents in the outfield grass, we scarfed down a couple of beers and headed across 21st Avenue North to Liberty Steakhouse and Brewery where it was much more lively.

Lame is the word that comes to mind.

So, last year, I was pretty excited when we banded together some friends and headed out to The Market Common for its inaugural Oktoberfest. We got there, with several in the group rolling baby strollers and another friend who'd been waiting for us for hours reporting that he couldn't find any bratwurst on site.

So, the ladies in our party decided we should go eat at Gordon Biersch Restaurant Brewery and we hauled the whole crew indoors while the Oktoberfest activities played out caddy corner over at Valor Park.

I proceeded to pound several mugs of Gordon Biersch's Oktoberfest brew - but by the time we got over to the festival, it was basically wrapping up, and I was able to snag one beer there and hear a few German tunes by The Rheingold Band.

So, I cannot say that I got an accurate feeling for the scope of this particular Oktoberfest as we were there only a few minutes before the sun went down and the event organizers pulled the plug.

I left feeling cheated. And feeling sorry for my friend Matt who never did get that bratwurst.

On Saturday, I'm looking for a shot at redemption.

A new Oktoberfest has materialized on Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach set for all-day Saturday, boasting German food and beverages, and some impressive entertainment including Palmetto State native sons Cravin' Melon (of "Sweet Tea'' fame) and Edwin McCain.

Meanwhile, a revamped Oktoberfest at The Market Common is also on tap on Saturday - with The Rheingold Band returning, but a vastly expanded German beer and food menu, to boot.

With dueling Oktoberfests competing within the city limits of Myrtle Beach - when a couple of years ago there were none - we dispatched correspondent Roger Yale to find out the burning question: is there a Bavarian brouhaha a brewing?

Turn to page 14 to find out. It is true that Weekly Surge has a hand in sponsoring and planning the Oktoberfest at The Market Common, and we'll be there serving beer and pretzel necklaces, handing out free Surge stuff, taking Party Pix and shaking hands and kissing babies.

But editorially, we strive to give our readers as much information as possible, not suppress it, so we've got details about both of Saturday's Oktoberfests covered in this week's cover story.

In addition, you will notice that we have produced a special section in this week's Surge, which you can pull out and take with you to the Oktoberfest at The Market Common on Saturday. Within this section, you will find our resident libations expert, Colin "Beerman'' Burch's rundown of the beers that will be available at The Market Common's Oktoberfest, noted local food writer Becky Billingsley's take on the German cuisine that will be served, as well as a look at local German-influenced eateries, a profile of The Rheingold Band by our Music Notes columnist Paul Grimshaw, and everything you need to know about the festival, including a map of the site and list of places to shop and dine at The Market Common, and more.

So, if you've got a dilemma about which Oktoberfest to attend, here's a solution: go to both of them.

(Just make sure you have a designated driver if you're drinking).

Personally, I'm quite interested in heading over to the downtown Oktoberfest in time to catch Cravin' Melon and McCain perform.

Prost!