CALEB NICKERSON
LADYSMITH Sept. 11, 2019
Last Wednesday, volunteers filled the kitchen in the TCRA as the preparations for Ladysmith’s Oktoberfest weekend . . .
got underway.
The order of the day was the mixing, moulding and baking of 200 lbs of ground beef for the iconic meat balls that are part of the festival’s traditional spread of food.
The work was delegated to different groups, to keep a constant supply of pans in the oven. There was a good mix of veterans and newbies (and even a reporter) lending a hand, and the raw meat was prepped and on pans in an hour and a half.
Oktoberfest President Lorraine Bretzlaff said that they freeze the cooked balls in advance of the October 5-6 weekend, and serve them up with other German staples. She started helping out with the event in 1985, and joined the board in 1993.
“It’s a fun time,” she said, noting that Oktoberfest’s board of directors is made up of 12 people. “We all enjoy it. It’s a lot of hard work.”
She said that the next work party they would be having would be on Sept. 18, when they will shred 2,000 lbs of cabbage for Sauerkraut.
Bretzlaff said anyone looking to help out this year should show up on Sept. 30 when they will be getting the main hall in order.
“We ask for volunteers to help us set it up,” she said. “All those chairs and tables have to be washed.”
