Oktoberfest enthusiasts and newbies alike flocked in the hundreds to the Ranch Pub & Grill for the inaugural celebration put on by the the Rotary Clubs of Golden Ears Sunrise, Meadowridge, and Haney.
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Organizer Urma Mollema was thrilled to receive such a response and has big plans for future Oktoberfest celebrations in the community.
“People said we wouldn’t sell 500 tickets, but we did it,” said Mollema. “They all sold and there were more than 200 people who didn’t get tickets.”
“I even heard there was a lady selling fake tickets on Facebook Marketplace for twice the price.”
“We got more than we could handle, so next year we want to have 1,000 tickets and make it even bigger.”
Despite the massive popularity of the event, Mollema said this was never about making a lot of money for the club.
“Our goal was to break even, which I believe we’ve already done,” she said. “We wanted to prove that we could put on something of this size, which we have.”
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The event included plenty of beer, lederhosen-clad partygoers, food trucks, and a live auction. All in all, Mollema said the event cost $18,000 to put together.
She’s also happy about the type of people that attended the event.
“About 65 per cent of the tickets were sold to people outside of Maple Ridge,” she said. “It gets people from other areas here to see how beautiful our city is. Next year, we hope to have more local businesses involved.”
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