Bavarian spirit smack in the middle of Minden

Bavaria was alive and well in the heart of Minden on Sunday as the Carson Valley Sertoma Club hosted their 11th Annual Oktoberfest fund-raiser.

Complete with a Bavarian band and bratwurst galore, 300 and 400 dinners were served to hungry festival-goers at Minden Park between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Sertoma Club President Dennis Hogan said 300 pounds of bratwurst and knockwurst, 220 pounds of potatoes and 24 gigantic jars of sauerkraut were dished out, not to mention the oodles of strudel, gobs of applesauce and kegs of beer.

"Every cent we raise stays right here in Carson Valley," Hogan said.

Dinner tickets sold for $7.

With a wooden dance floor situated in front of the band, dancers spun to the tunes of the Al Gruber Band, an Oktoberfest staple with their polka and German arrangments.

"This is a family band," Gruber said, pointing out his daughter, son and grandson all on the stage with him. Gruber was born in Czechoslovakia, but now lives with wife Christine in Lake Tahoe. Gruber's band is a favorite in the Northern California and Nevada regions for Oktoberfests and the like.

Sertoma member June Gallagher decided to use Sunday's event for another purpose. Gallagher had a table set up where people could buy angel bears to send to the children of the victims of the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11. Selling the Avon bears at her cost, $16, Gallagher hopes to get enough people involved to send at least 60 bears to New York. She will include batteries for the bears, which have electronic movable wings and play "Jesus loves me," and will cover shipping costs.

"Anything to give comfort," she said.

In addition to music and food, there were free games for the children and a few vendors set up.

To order an Angel Bear for the children of the Trade Center disaster victims call June Gallagher at 782-4032 or reach her online at jgallagher@pyramid.net.