BIRCHDALE — A haunted hay ride, a pumpkin carving contest and more than enough chili to go around helped make this year’s Oktoberfest in Birchdale one of the best yet, say organizers
Saturday’s turnout topped previous years and for the first time, there weren’t enough pumpkins for everyone to carve.
“We ran out of pumpkins,” organizer Soren Olesen said Saturday. “That never happens.”
While Oktoberfesters were busy carving pumpkins, Olesen took others on a haunted hay ride through his field near the community building. Bundled up hay riders laughed as “zombies” crept out of the woods toward the tractor-towed wagon.
Meanwhile, the pumpkin carving contest, which Olesen said gets more competitive every year, generated about 40 of the glowing Jack-o-lanterns. Five-year-old Hoyt Nelson of International Falls took first place for his flame-themed carving.
The evening also featured the popular chili cook off. Crock pots full of different versions of the stew were available during the event’s potluck for taste testing. Cheryl Dobbs of Littlefork earned the top spot in the cook off for her chili recipe.
The event is organized as a quarterly fundraiser for the community building, Olesen said. Other yearly events include Pioneer Days in July and the North American Sturgeon Championship in August.
“We just like to hold events that promote family fun where people of any generation can come and enjoy themselves,” he said.
