On Friday, Oct. 16, a 40-by-80-foot tent goes up on the old Exchange lot along County Road 66. It will have a stage, a dance floor, string lights and banquet tables. The Exchange Bar and Grill burned down in 2008. By 2013 the lot was mostly a place where cars, boats and RVs sat with "for sale" signs on them. The inaugural Crosslake Oktoberfest runs two days, Oct. 16–17, and there is no entrance fee for the Main Tent or the Village grounds.
The tent is the most visible piece, but the weekend isn't built to keep you there. The punch card, the food, the mugs and even the golf all send people out to local businesses. When the tent comes down, the rest of Crosslake's October calendar runs along the same road.
Why this lands on MEA weekend
Organizer David Anderson is a local businessman. He picked the dates on purpose. According to the Pine and Lakes Echo Journal's August report, he timed the festival to MEA weekend because many families are off school and up north. He also saw a hole in the calendar between Crosslake Days and the holiday season.
He pitched the idea to friends and business owners one at a time, working his way through the local bar and restaurant owners. Over and over, the reply was the same.
"Each one goes, 'Well, that's great, but who's going to do it?' So I guess I will."
He set up Crosslake Oktoberfest LLC to run it. For insurance and setup, he copied the approach the Crosslake Chamber uses for its St. Patrick's Day event. The artwork and branding were done for the event.
This is the first year, so there's no track record to go on. What exists is a plan that puts the bars and restaurants that already carry a Crosslake weekend at the center of it.
The tent is a hub, and the tour card is the reason to leave it
The festival website calls the event "One Festival. 17 Local Stops. One Big Weekend." The partners page names the stops: 14 Lakes Pub and Brewery, the Crosslake-Fifty Lakes American Legion, Manhattan's, Moonlite Bay, Patrick's Cedar Chest, Rafferty's Pizza, The Wharf, Andy's Bar & Grill, Dark Horse Brew, Mad Rabbits Feast Kitchen, Ox Lake Tavern, Pine Peaks Restaurant, Riverside Tavern, Up North Social, Maucieri's Italian Bistro, Fifty Lakes Bar & Bottle Shop and ZORBAZ on Crozzlake. Squirrelly Mama is listed too.
The Oktoberfest Tour is what ties those stops to the tent:
- Pick up a free punch card at any participating business on Friday or Saturday.
- Get the card punched at any four participating businesses.
- Bring the finished card back to the Oktoberfest tent.
Guests 21 and older with a valid ID get one free Leinenkugel's beer for a completed card. Every finished card goes into a drawing for a custom cornhole board set, open to guests 18 and older.
The food works the same way. SausageFest isn't a formal cook-off. Area restaurants each bring their own take on sausages, dips and seasonal dishes. The festival describes those dishes as served "throughout town," and the schedule sets aside Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon for participating local businesses. No restaurant had posted its specific dish when this was written, so the menus will be news on the day.
Two more details point people outward. The $20 commemorative mugs are sold through participating restaurants, not at a central booth, and the money goes toward event costs. GolfenFest moves the action to Crosswoods Golf Course, with mini golf at Whistling Wolf and simulator activities through the weekend.
How the two days are laid out
Friday, Oct. 16, noon to 9 p.m. The tent opens at noon with the keg tapping and a Willkommen ceremony. The TrachtFest costume contest runs all day, along with practice rounds for the Stein-Off and practice runs for the WienerFest dog races. The Family Fun Zone in the Village has Hammerschlagen, kid-friendly axe throwing, cornhole and a pretzel toss. The Dweebs Family Band plays from 5 to 8 p.m. Anderson compared the band to Hairball.
Saturday, Oct. 17, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday is when the contests are judged.
| Time | What's happening | Stakes |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00 a.m. | Tent opens | |
| 11:00 a.m.–noon | SausageFest | Participating local businesses |
| 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | WienerFest dachshund races | $250 fastest dog, $250 best costume |
| 1:00–2:00 p.m. | Stein-Off | $250 strongest male, $250 strongest female |
| 2:00–6:00 p.m. | The Dweebs Family Band | |
| 4:00 p.m. | TrachtFest final awards | $2,000 prize purse |
| 5:00 p.m. | Yodel-Off | $100 grand prize, free to enter |
Crosslake Veterinary Hospital presents the dog races, which run down a straw-lined track about 80 to 90 feet long. Grand Champion Meats presents the Stein-Off. Registration opened Sept. 16. TrachtFest entries cost $5 for adults and $2.50 for youth, and a WienerFest dog entry costs $5. Apart from those optional contest fees and the mugs, Anderson said nothing about the weekend is ticketed.
Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest and the Crosslake Ideal Lions Club are the premier sponsors. Featured event sponsors include 66 Marine North, Schmidt Roofing, Ace Hardware and NorthHike. Pequot Lakes Sanitation is donating garbage and recycling service, and Fyle's Satellites is providing the portable restrooms.
Parking at The Log Church and riding in
Festival parking is at The Log Church, 37218 County Road 66. A shuttle runs between there and the Exchange lot. No shuttle timetable had been posted as of early October. If you're planning around a specific contest, like the 11 a.m. dog races or the 5 p.m. Yodel-Off, give the shuttle some extra time.
The organizers suggest comfortable shoes, layers for the colder evenings and an ID for anyone buying adult beverages. They also say to arrive early. If family is coming up for MEA weekend and the guest room is full, the festival's lodging partners are Whitefish Lodge & Suites, Pine Peaks Lodge & Suites and Manhattan Beach Lodge.
The rest of October is on the same road
Anderson started the festival to fill a gap in the fall calendar. The week after it ends is already full, and most of it happens at addresses on County Road 66, the same road as the tent and the shuttle lot.
| Date | Event | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fridays and Saturdays through October | Whistling Werewolf haunted mini golf | Whistling Wolf Mini Golf & Gifts, 36006 County Road 66 | 5–9 p.m., weather permitting |
| Oct. 22–25 | Camp Spooktacular, decorated campsites and contests | Crosslake Recreation Area, 35507 County Road 66 | Thursday noon to Sunday 1 p.m. |
| Oct. 24 | Zorbaz Trunk or Treat | Zorbaz on Crozz Lake, 36215 County Road 66 | 12:30–2:30 p.m. |
| Oct. 24 | Public trick-or-treat at Camp Spooktacular | Crosslake Recreation Area | 2:30–6 p.m., wagon ride 6–8 p.m. |
| Oct. 25 | Ideal Fire Department Trunk or Treat | 34358 Butternut Point Road, Pequot Lakes | 2–4 p.m. |
Saturday, Oct. 24, is the busiest day, and the times are set so you can do it all in order. Zorbaz's Trunk or Treat ends at 2:30 p.m., which is when the free public trick-or-treat at Camp Spooktacular starts. Zorbaz is giving gift-card prizes for decorated trunks. At the Recreation Area, every child in costume gets free hot cocoa and a hot dog. From 6 to 8 p.m. there's a wagon ride past the decorated campsites. On Sunday, the Ideal Fire Department's event has fire trucks, games and fire-prevention activities.
A few dates are off the 66 corridor. Before Oktoberfest, the Crosslake Area Library is hosting Debbie Center's "Classical Rock" concert on Wednesday, Oct. 7, from 2 to 3:30 p.m., at the Community Center pavilion if the weather allows. In November, the Crosslake Chamber's Awards Banquet is Nov. 5 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Whitefish Lodge & Suites. Ojibwe author, artist and educator Sam Zimmerman, Zhaawanoogiizhik, visits the library at 14126 Daggett Pine Road on Nov. 20 at 2 p.m.
The tent's spot isn't new to anyone in town. It's where the Exchange stood. This October, that lot is the place to pick up a punch card and start down County Road 66.
If the weekend on the old Exchange lot has you wondering how Crosslake's busy stretch along County Road 66 fits your own plans for a lake home, Amanda Lumley knows this road address by address and would be glad to talk it through. Schedule a consultation whenever you're ready.
