By Tara Fischer
Staff Writer
Berlin’s event calendar is chock-full of autumnal and Halloween ongoings this October.
Berlin’s Fall Cruisers, a vintage car show, is coming up on Saturday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Registration is $10 the day of the event and free for spectators.
Attendees can sample all Berlin offers while checking out the old vehicles.
On Saturday, Oct. 19, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Berlin will welcome Worcester County residents to its annual Oktoberfest. Berlin Economic and Community Development Director Ivy Wells said the the town partnered with Shore Craft Beer, a company dedicated to highlighting regional beers at festivals, to add more local craft breweries to the event this year.
Burley Oak Brewing Company, Berlin Beer Company, Dewey Beer Company, Burnish Beer Company, Big Oyster Brewery, Dogfish Head, Fin City Brewing Company, Heavy Seas Beer, Freedom Brewery, Calvert Beer Company and Cypress Roots Brewing Company will offer a variety of beers to try.
“Historically, our beer selection has been limited,” Wells said. “We listened to what the people were saying and added on.”
Beer tents will be set up, and beer trucks with various taps will be stationed on Pitts and Commerce streets. Attendees can purchase $5 tickets from the Berlin Chamber of Commerce, take them to one of the breweries and they’ll service the draft of choice.
Children’s entertainment will also be provided for free. Cascading Carlos will perform and teach the kids how to juggle, Scales-n-Tails from Assateague State Park is bringing “critters,” young attendees can partake in a fall-themed craft, and face painting will be available.
Oktoberfest will provide live music to its visitors. Two stages, sponsored by Ocean City Tourism and a Maryland Main Street Improvement Grant, will be set up. The stage near the Atlantic Hotel will host The Edelweiss Band and The Dunehounds are slated to perform at the other, near the Sterling Tavern.
Local restaurants’ bratwurst, gluten-free baked goods and Baked Dessert Cafe’s famous pretzels will be for sale.
Wells said that Oktoberfest grows annually. While unfavorable weather conditions hurt last fall’s attendance, the town sold 10,000 beer tickets the year before. Officials hope to see the same, or a higher, number this October.
Parking for the Oct. 19 event will be available at Berlin Intermediate School. Attendees can take the free shuttle into downtown, which Wells said will run on a continuous loop from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. No rain date has been set. In the case of inclement weather, the festivities will move indoors.
Berlin is also hosting a pumpkin scavenger hunt. Wells said the event has been going on for a few years and was started to “get people to walk around.”
Local artist Jess Hall of Happy Now Creations painted 24 pumpkins in shop windows. Participants may pick up an entry from the Berlin Welcome Center’s foyer, which is open 24/7, walk around downtown, find the autumnal decorations, and record their discoveries.
On Halloween, a random drawing of the completed forms, which can be dropped off at the Berlin Welcome Center, will occur. The winner will receive $100 cash. Wells maintained that for a participant to have a chance at the prize, they must have found all the pumpkins.
On Oct. 25, the Berlin Horticulture Advisory Committee will hold its first Pumpkins in the Park event, from 7-9 p.m. at the Stephen Decatur Park Pond. Attendees can vote for their favorite pumpkin creations.
If you want to carve and enter a pumpkin, call or email by Oct. 15 at 410-629-1716 or aearly@berlinmd.gov.
The Town of Berlin Utilities Department, in coordination with the Berlin Police Department and other agencies, is hosting a Truck and Treat on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Stephen Decatur Park. Officials will bring emergency response vehicles and trucks and will host demonstrations.
Wells said bucket trucks, police vehicles and other town equipment will be on display. Kids can also sit in the drivers’ seats and get up close and personal with Berlin’s official auto machines.
“The kids just love it,” Wells added.
Candy will also be passed out to make it a “Truck and Treat” and fit neatly with the town’s additional Halloween/ fall events.
Upcoming Berlin events are on the town’s website and Facebook p