Oldstoberfest, billed as the world's first Bavarian rodeo and biergarten, pumped more than $100,000 directly into the local economy, including more than $50,000 to not-for-profit groups in the area.
That's the word from Gillian Grant, coordinator for C5 Rodeo, the company that led organization of the event.
This year's edition of Oldstoberfest was held Sept. 14-15.
"Over $100,000 was directly contributed to the community," Grant told the Albertan, adding that includes planning costs such as booking hotel rooms, liquor purchases, as well as other spinoffs like restaurant meals plus expenses incurred during the two-day event itself.
Grant says all hotels in the area were "at capacity and various local restaurants and businesses saw a noticeable increase in sales."
She says all the beer was obtained from the Olds College brewery.
"(For) all of those kinds of events expenses we try to do as much as we possibly can locally in the community," Grant says.
According to Grant, non-profit groups benefiting from the more than $50,000 provided via Oldstoberfest were the Olds College women's hockey team, Olds College men's volleyball and basketball teams, the Fillies ladies hockey team, the Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron 185 in Olds, the Calico Capers square dance club, the Olds Mavericks and Stingers lacrosse teams, the Mustache Riders fundraising group, Olds Citizens on Patrol, the Olds Grizzlys junior A hockey team, the Olds Kiwanis and Olds Rotary clubs, the Boys and Girls Club of Olds and Area, the Eagle 4-H Beef Club, Olds Regional Exhibition, the Olds College rodeo team, the Kiwanis food tent, the Lions Campground, and the Olds and District Hospice Society.
She says another beneficiary was the Didsbury Figure Skating Club.
Mountain View Dodge also held a kickoff barbecue which raised $3,350 for local resident Carter Thompson who is battling cancer.
Grant says a record crowd of more than 7,000 people attended the event, despite the fact it was unusually cold those two days. According to the Weather Network, the high was 2.7 C.
"It was cold, and we had a lot of members of the rodeo community who go to rodeos all over Canada. They could just not get over the crowd that we had for the rodeo for the weather. They just were so impressed and thought that was so great that the community was so supportive in that sense," she says.
The mutton busters and the leather and lederhosen wild ride were new additions to the entertainment provided during the rodeo.
This year, Uptowne Olds & the Olds and District Chamber of Commerce became involved, promoting the Bavarian Your Business competition in which local businesses were urged to get into the Bavarian theme of the event. The trophy stein was awarded to Jensen's Men's Wear and Gotcha Jeans.
Grant says Oldstoberfest attracted rodeo fans from across the province. She says a family from the U.K. also took in the activities.
Planning is already underway for next year's edition of Oldstoberfest. Tentative dates are Sept. 13 and 14.
