Kind of a boring saturday afternoon... I tell the kids "shoes & socks, we'll hit Todos Santos, I'll get a Peets, you two can hit the play structure, win win." They were thrilled. We drive up and there's tent after tent, a band playing, rides for the kids! I had no idea it was Concord's Oktoberfest.
Bands included: the Volker Strifler Band, The Squeegees, and The Red Hot Chachkas. I'm sure there were more in the lineup throughout the day.
There was a polka costume parade and polka lessons! You could buy a pass and sample seven different beers from local microbreweries.
But the very best thing about Concord's Oktoberfest was Cyclecide. The first ride I saw looked like it might be the first ever merry-go-round. But after talking to the Cyclecide guy managing the line, their rides are all one-of-a-kind, made from salvaged parts, powered by pedaling. Awesome. This is a good description of Cyclecide, taken from their website: "Cyclecide is a touring freak show that showcases muscle-powered contraptions welded together from bits of bikes salvaged from junk heaps, scaffolding, and car parts. FAULT LINES SPRING 2007"
Another good description: "... here is the basic recipe: rent Mad Max and Pee Wee's Big Adventure, toss them in a nuclear reactor together, and watch the ensuing mutant merriment"... Boise Weekly Sept. 2004
My kids did three of their rides, two of which were merry-go-round-ish. One pedal-powered by whoever brought the kids there, the other powered by the kids themselves. The third was a solo-ride. You sat on a tiny bike seat contraption about 4 inches from the ground, pedaled, and spun 'round like mad. My kids didn't get it going very fast, but had a blast nonetheless. The older set who did this ride (clearly aiming to increase their already apparent buzz) pedaled so hard and spun so fast that the thing kind of crept around on the grass. Every single one of them got up and nearly fell over from dizziness. They were fun to watch.
My pics to be posted soon, but until then, visit their site: www.cyclecide.com
Yay Concord for bringing this to Todos Santos. read more