500 Visitors Enjoy a Taste of Germany at Annual Oktoberfest

Eleven-year-old Matt Foldesi of Newbury Park clutched a handful of Ping-Pong balls at Conejo Creek Park in Thousand Oaks on Sunday and leaned as far forward as he could.

Methodically, he tossed them one by one onto a table full of small glass tanks, each containing a tiny goldfish. He dropped two of his three balls into fishbowls, winning two bright orange additions to his aquarium.

“I’m going to put them in my fish tank,” said the boy, one of more than 500 people who turned out Sunday for Oktoberfest 1994, the eighth annual fund-raiser hosted by the Newbury Park Rotary Club.

All things German filled the park behind the Thousand Oaks Library off Janss Road on Sunday, including beer, music, smoked bratwurst and sauerkraut. European culture was not the only one represented. There was an African elephant on display, and American contributions included crafts and potato salad.

Nearby, local politicians handed out brochures detailing their campaigns while Rotary Club members sold T-shirts commemorating the day for $7 each.

“The money goes to the Rotary scholarship fund,” said event chairman Francois Zanni, a restaurateur from Newbury Park. “Our goal this year is to raise $15,000.”

Zanni said last year’s Oktoberfest generated almost $14,000 for various high school scholarships and local nonprofit groups, such as Meals on Wheels and Polio Plus.

“We do this event partly to raise money,” Zanni said. “But we also offer free admission so that as many people as want to can come. They don’t have to spend a dime.”

But Carolyn Dydyk of Newbury Park thought enough of a handcrafted wooden bird feeder to pay $24.95 for the hanging gift, which was shaped like a cat with a box around its belly and a sign reading “Let’s do lunch.”

“I bought this as a Christmas present for my friend,” the homemaker said. “She owns cats, so she’ll see the humor in it.”

Barbara Dorman of Newbury Park, who made the bird feeder, said business was good Sunday.

“I’ve sold four of them and there’s only been a crowd here for about an hour,” Dorman said at noon. “I’ve been out here the last four years because they organize it really well. It’s a good local fund-raiser.”

At the far end of the park, Rotary Club volunteer Suzanne Guggenheim was collecting $1 bills as fast as children could hand them her way. The bills bought three minutes inside a dinosaur- or elephant-shaped Astro Jump.

“It’s a good place to have some fun and use up energy,” Guggenheim said. “This is fun for kids of all ages.”

Behind a display by new car dealers, Sherry Horn of Canyon Country was offering rides on her 10-year-old elephant, Nellie, to children for $1 and adults for $2.

At noontime, however, the uncomfortable elephant was apparently scaring away any takers and cutting down on ticket sales.

Robert and Ingrid Szczesiak of Simi Valley said the Rotary Club-sponsored Oktoberfest was pretty authentic for a local fund-raiser.

“My wife’s German, so we both wanted to come,” said Robert Szczesiak, a developer and apartment manager. “I’ve never been to an Oktoberfest (outside Germany). This is the American version, but it’s pretty good.”

Ingrid Szczesiak said the Rotarians did a good job of creating a German atmosphere.

“I’m from Berlin,” she said, having just finished lunch. “The sauerkraut was very good and the bratwurst was excellent, but the potato salad was American--not very good.”