Waynesburg shops to throw Oktoberfest
Local Waynesburg shops are making a consolidated effort to bring more busyness – and business – downtown.
Sunday, Oct. 30 marked Oktoberfest for Waynesburg, which is an event that 5 Kidz Kandy owner, Kristy Vliet, would like to see become a regular part of the community. Eight downtown businesses worked together to throw the event, and in the spirit of Oktoberfest, they each had to make a food item that contained a very special ingredient: beer.
For $8 a ticket, or two for $12, people could buy wristbands that would allow them to eat the food made by each business. Those who dressed up to celebrate the holiday weekend earned the chance to have their name placed in a raffle to win a large basket prize.
The event lasted from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Vliet said that the people who had come into the store were not regulars there, which made her excited.
“If it interests somebody and they’re looking for something to do when they come in, most of the people that have been in here today have never been in here before,” said Vliet. ” It’s good because it brings in people who wouldn’t normally walk through the door.”
The driving influence behind this event, and similar ones of the past and future, is to bring more business to downtown Waynesburg, as well as give community members an opportunity to do something a little bit different.
“We’re just trying to give people an option to do something,” said Vliet.
“People always say that there’s never anything to do in town, so we’re trying to give people an option on something to do.”
In the spring, businesses got together to do a chili cook-off, and according to Vliet, there was a great response from those who attended. She wants events like the chili cook-off and Oktoberfest to become more common as these businesses continue to work together.
“We’ve talked about trying to do at least one Sunday a month where we’re all open, but right now it’s difficult (for a number of reasons),” said Vliet. “For us to be able to stay open, a lot of us do festivals. My daughter is at a festival right now with my stuff because I couldn’t be there.”
Stacey Martin, a senior human services major from Waynesburg University, attended the event and believes there is a lot of potential for these monthly events, especially if the students are made aware of them.
“I feel there is so much potential, for not just Oktoberfest but all other town festivals,” said Martin. ” It’s just small enough and just big enough to create an environment where students and the town of Waynesburg can come together just to have community and a little fun on a nice Sunday afternoon.” However, she does note that there are some improvements that could be made to pull even more people into town.
” When walking through the little town, you couldn’t tell they were having an event because all the action was tucked inside the businesses,” she said. ” If they put up some festive tents outside on the sidewalks advertising what was there, they would draw more attention to people just passing by on a Sunday stroll or drive after church.”
Vliet said that the annual Cookie Caper will take place on Nov. 17-18, where the 12 businesses involved will be open until 8 p.m., and people who go to all 12 and get their cookie recipe will be entered into a grand prize raffle. Last year, this raffle was worth close to $1,500.
Also, as the holiday season is getting closer, local businesses are looking to have Black Friday sales extended for college students, who will be on break on that date.