Gardner schedules Oktoberfest and Cherluge for Sept. 27; charity motorcycle ride will close part of Parker Street Aug. 30

Mayor (name not specified) said the Gardner Ale House and the Gardner Festival Committee will host Oktoberfest on Saturday, Sept. 27, marking the festival’s 20th anniversary and the Cherluge’s 15th. The mayor provided a partial schedule: activities begin at 10 a.m.; a Bavarian band is scheduled at 11 a.m.; keg tapping and the accompanying song at 11:30 a.m.; a men’s and women’s Stein Holding contest at 1 p.m.; the Cherluge at 2 p.m.; a tournament at 3 p.m.; and live music continuing into the evening with an approximate end around 8 p.m.

Nut graf: The combined events will concentrate downtown activity on Sept. 27 and the mayor said Gardner Square 2’s directors voted to cancel their usual fall festival this year to avoid splitting volunteers and attendance across multiple events.

On Saturday, Aug. 30, the Gardner Elk Riders charity motorcycle ride to benefit the Cancer Support Fund of Central Massachusetts will stage at the Elks Lodge on Parker Street. Registration was announced to start at 9 a.m., with kickstands up at 11 a.m. and a short speaking portion at 10:30 a.m.; the mayor said the registration fee is $20 per rider and includes a barbecue ticket. The mayor said Parker Street will be closed from Central Street to Cottage Street for set‑up and that detours will route traffic around Monument Park and the Greenwood Pool area.

The mayor said Patty Bergstrom, the former president of Gardner Square 2, closed the Velvet Goose and that overlapping volunteer commitments with festival organizers influenced the decision to cancel that group’s fall festival for the year. The mayor said the city had already run a sidewalk sale earlier in the summer and wanted to consolidate downtown events.

Ending: The mayor urged residents to watch for traffic changes and to support the charity ride and festival events.