Estacada DEC finalizes Oktoberfest layout, vendor fees and volunteer plan

Members of the DEC met Sept. 9 to finalize logistics for the city’s Oktoberfest, confirming that food vendors will be relocated near the stage, that vendors will pay fees, and that the organizing team will rely on volunteers for most activity stations.

The discussion focused on placement and power. Lynn Peterson, who identified herself as owner of Timbertown Grub, told the commission she contacted vendors and had several confirmations: “I’ve got Christie’s that’s confirmed. The Urban German is pretty sure confirmed. I’m confirmed,” she said. Organizers agreed to move the food vendors from Fourth Street to the stage area to give attendees places to sit and eat while listening to music.

The move is intended to increase vendor sales and to make the food area more accessible. Peterson and other committee members said the event will use “spider boxes” (multi-outlet power distribution boxes) so vendors will not need noisy generators. The committee also discussed a mix of quiet generators and battery packs volunteered by vendors to cover power needs.

Budget and revenue figures were presented during the meeting: expenses to date were listed as $5,060 (T-shirts, music and All American rental toilets), and vendor payments received totaled $1,100. Committee members noted the shortfall and emphasized the need to control costs and maximize vendor sales and sponsorships.

Volunteers and programming were a second major topic. Committee members described a full day of activities (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.) including children’s activities (flower crowns, alpine hat decorating, pretzel necklace making, donut-on-a-string, bubbles and chalk), pumpkin painting run by Orchid Health, costume and pie-eating contests, and a stage schedule of music and dance performances. Organizers said some activities require one person, others two, and asked for volunteer sign-ups in two-hour shifts; Corbin, the youth member, agreed to help recruit student volunteers through his school’s National Honor Society.

Logistics discussed included table and canopy supplies (long banquet tables and fold-up canopies from All American Rental and Parks & Rec), layout for seating primarily in front of the stage, and wristband/ticket booths. T-shirt sales and pricing were debated: the committee reviewed per-unit costs for various sizes and discussed a single retail price to simplify sales. After math on cost and inventory, the committee indicated $20 as a target retail price for shirts (no final formal vote recorded on the price).

Alcohol and food vendors returning or confirmed included Timbertown, Time Travelers (Wednesdays), Stone Circle and Boring Brewing; Mad Cow was not available. Committee members said alcohol monitoring and wristbanding will follow the same assignment pattern as last year and that one DEC member or a responsible adult must staff the T-shirt booth because it will handle cash.

The committee set short-term follow-up tasks: finalize vendor placement and power hookups, circulate a volunteer assignment sheet and schedule, confirm final counts for tables/canopies and order remaining children’s craft supplies, and complete T-shirt pricing and inventory decisions.

Votes at a glance: The only formal vote recorded in the transcript was approval of minutes from the Aug. 5, 2024 meeting. A motion to accept the minutes was made and seconded; the chair called for the vote and members voiced “Aye,” after which the motion was approved.

The commission said it expects to be fully subscribed for vendor spaces and will close registration when all paid spots are filled. Organizers reiterated that fees will not be waived for vendors moved to the stage area.