Oktoberfest: Beer and Brats for a Good Cause
Contributed by: Buffalo.com/YourHub Robyn Busch on 9/29/2008
The walls might be crumbling, but as long as the beer steins are full and the brats are plentiful, no one complains about the scenery.
Saturday’s Oktoberfest at Buffalo Central Terminal had Buffalonians throwing back the brew for a good cause. The annual fundraiser for the dilapidated East Side art deco building brought community members and all things German together for a night of fun.
Central Terminal Restoration Corporation President Michael Miller said he started the Oktoberfest at Central Terminal after he was inspired by a 2004 trip to the Munich Oktoberfest.
“This is my favorite event of the year,” Miller said. “It’s a nice family type of event, you can come out and have some good German food, some good German beer and enjoy some good German music.”
With a beer stein in hand and fully clad in a traditional German dirndl, Linda Bauer of Lancaster said she brought her husband and parents to celebrate their German heritage. Bauer said helping the Central Terminal was also important.
“It’s good to support the Central Terminal,” Bauer said. “That’s why we’re here.”
Buffalo’s German American Musicians Blaskapelle performed under the aging arches of the baggage check with the main concourse serving as backdrop for the festivities. Miller said the building’s state of disrepair hadn’t deterred the estimated crowd of one thousand.
“People can see past it, it’s cosmetic, but there’s more to it than that,” Miller said. “This is a beautiful old artistic building.”
Miller says nearly 85 percent of profits raised by all events at Central Terminal go directly towards restoration efforts, with the rest covering overhead costs. Last year’s Oktoberfest raised about $12,000. With about $1.5 million raised and an expected need of $100 million more, the volunteer-based CTRC relies on events like Oktoberfest to attract awareness and funding for the historic edifice.
“We have two types of return visitors: one who likes the event and one who likes the building,” said Miller.
The Central Terminal was built in 1929 and used as a railway station until 1979, when it was purchased, stripped of its original décor and later neglected. Central Terminal volunteers say they hope that by revitalizing the terminal through events like Oktoberfest they can eventually revitalize Buffalo’s East Side.
“We want to use it as the magnet for the East Side,” CTRC Vice President Mark Lewandowski said. “We like to think we’re creating spin-off business. We’re all about the neighborhood, it’s about them.”