Cornerstone Lutheran Church welcomed nearly 2000 guests to its 12th Annual Oktoberfest on Friday, September 25, at our Carmel site. It was a “Wunderbar” celebration filled with fellowship, fun, and fantastic food like authentic German suppers, brats smoked to perfection, Ben’s Pretzels, and a huge variety of desserts! New this year, was our Root Beer Garden. This crowd favorite was busy all night long, serving root beer floats and soft-serve ice cream.
Guests certainly enjoyed the festive atmosphere with traditional music by Indy Polkamotion while kids enjoyed bouncing around all the inflatable houses and games. Cornerstone continues to bring joy and connection for all of our sites and neighboring communities, and this year’s Oktoberfest was no exception.
Oktoberfest is truly a labor of love, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to Kendall & Lisa Rump, who oversaw this event; the Oktoberfest Committee for their countless hours of planning and preparation; the Cornerstone church staff for their support; and all the volunteers whose dedication helped make this event possible.
As we begin looking ahead to next year, we welcome your feedback. If you have any comments, suggestions, or stories to share, please email info@cornerstonelutheran.church. Your input will help us continue improving and growing this wonderful event.
And Now… Oktoberfest By the Numbers:
- Smoked and served more than 1,000 brats
- Served nearly 1,500 desserts
- Emptied 16 kegs of beer
- Enjoyed 750 Ben’s Pretzels
- Served 275 German suppers and more than 350 Kids Meals
- Served 500 ice cream treats in the Root Beer Garden
- Distributed 726 bounce house bracelets
- Distributed 885 adult wristbands
- Logged more than 300 volunteer hours
These numbers are impressive, but what they don’t fully capture is the spirit of fellowship, community, and generosity that made the evening so special!
