By Michelle Colesanti
Immanuel Lutheran School (ILS) has been holding its Oktoberfest for 31 years providing families with a fun way to celebrate the fall season. Once again ILS invites the community to enjoy the fun on Saturday, October 15 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Entry is free, but games and rides will require tickets, which cost 50 cents each.
Two sections will separate the younger children from the older ones. Kids will get to enjoy car bash, bounce houses, trampoline bungee, pony rides and a petting zoo. There will be a hair booth for wrapping and a hair spray color booth. Entertainment will be held inside along with many vendor booths. New this year will be a foam pit and a live actual Pacman game.
A costume contest will be held at 12 Noon with prizes for first, second and third place winners.
If you get hungry while enjoying the fun, you can try authentic German food. A local family has run the kitchen and cooking for this event for the last six years. Hamburgers and hot dogs will also be available. Indulge your sweet tooth at the bake sale or by purchasing snow cones, cotton candy and candy apples.
ILS opened its doors for the first time in September 1980 with 72 students. Over the years, classroom space has been expanded and a preschool program started in 2008. Today ILS provides a quality Christian education for students from preschool to 8th grade.
As one of ILS’s largest annual fundraisers, the money raised helps to fund school activities.
Chairperson Devon Woodward said, “I have three children. One is in college and he attended ILS from 6-8 grades. I currently have one in middle school and one child in second grade. ILS is a wonderful environment and many of my older son’s friends today are ones he made at ILS in middle school. I agreed to chair Oktoberfest because of my love for this school. I think ILS is the best kept secret in Brandon. I love our Oktoberfest because when we came to the school it was a tiny school event. Today we have grown the event and truly work every year to make it bigger and better.”
ILS is located at 2913 John Moore Rd. Visit www.ilsbrandon.com.
