FAIRFIELD BAY — The leaves on the trees are changing colors, and the early mornings have a nip in the air. It’s fall in Arkansas, and the folks in Fairfield Bay will celebrate the season’s arrival Friday and Saturday with not one, but two festivals — OktoberFest and StoryFest.
OktoberFest will begin at 11 a.m. Friday and continue through Saturday; StoryFest, featuring two professional storytellers, will take place Saturday. All activities are free and will be at the Fairfield Bay Conference and Visitor Center, unless otherwise noted.
“We are so excited about everything,” said Wilba Thompson, co-director with her husband, Bob Thompson, of the conference center. “We have a few new things this year for OktoberFest, including a traditional Volksmarch, or walk, that will begin the festival on Friday.
“Participants will begin the march at 11 a.m. here at the center, walking at their own pace to Woodland Mead Park and back,” she said. “This will be a short Volksmarch — 3.2 kilometers, or 2 miles. A small token will be given to each participant at the completion of the walk.
“We have also added some new foods that will be available during the weekend,” she said. “In addition to the traditional German fare, which includes brats, German potato salad and sauerbraten — all prepared by our caterer, The Little Red Restaurant — we will have food vendors that will offer festival foods such as burgers, barbecue and turkey legs, as well as kettle corn.”
The German fare and beverages from the authentic German Biergarten will be available from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. The food vendors, as well as an arts and crafts show, will be open from noon to 6 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to
5 p.m. Saturday.
Thompson said a “Roll Out the Barrel” Grand March will begin Friday night’s celebration and dance at 6 p.m. Music will be provided by Feather River, featuring Andy and Jeanne Anderson of Fairfield Bay, from 6-9 p.m. Friday.
“I will be on guitar and vocals, and Jeanne on keyboard,” Andy Anderson said. “We will play traditional OktoberFest music with polkas and waltzes, but we play all kinds of music, from rock ’n’ roll to country.”
The family festival will open at 7:30 a.m. Saturday with a pancake breakfast sponsored by the Fairfield Bay Lions Club at the Lions Club Den, 365 Dave Creek Parkway. Cost is $6 for adults and $3 for children.
Another new addition to this year’s OktoberFest lineup is KidsFest, which will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and feature bouncy houses, face painting and other activities for kids of all ages.
The seventh annual StoryFest will begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. Two sessions are planned — the morning session, and an afternoon session at 1:30 p.m.; both will take place in the theater at the conference center.
“Everyone is so excited about StoryFest,” Wilba Thompson said. “Stas’ Ziolkowski, who lived in Fairfield Bay and started the event in 2010, will be returning this year as a presenter.
“Stas’ will perform Heroes and Scoundrels: A Journey With Stas’.”
Ziolkowski, who now lives in Murrysville, Pennsylvania, tells stories that relate to his life as a soldier in the Army, and as a teenager, soccer player, coach and referee, track coach and organizer of large athletic events. He also relates stories of his participation in theater and storytelling events, as well as those relating to his life as a son, brother, husband, father and friend.
In 2011, Ziolkowski was recognized by the National Storytelling Network and received the Oracle Award for Service and Leadership.
StoryFest will also feature Anne Rutherford of Portland, Oregon. She performs a repertoire of stories, poems and songs for audiences of all ages. Her specialties are original and vintage stories of humor and adventure, trickster and supernatural tales, and northwest folklore.
Tickets for StoryFest are $10 in advance or $15 at the door and are good for both sessions. To purchase tickets, call (501) 884-4202.
“This is the third year for OktoberFest,” Thompson said, adding that the festival was put on for many years before the conference center was closed for several years. “It is growing every year. That is our intent. We want it to keep growing, getting bigger and bigger each year.”
The Fairfield Bay Conference and Visitor Center is at 110 Lost Creek Parkway. For more information on OktoberFest and StoryFest, call (501) 884-4202 or visit www.fairfieldbayconferencecenter.com.