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Date: 10/18/2023
EAST LONGMEADOW — The East Longmeadow Recreation Department will host the second annual Oktoberfest at Brown Farm, 64 Hampden Rd. Recreation Director Donna Prather said that while admission is free, a portion of the proceeds from beer and food sales will go toward the Brown Farm fund, which helps raise money to develop recreation opportunities at the site.
Oktoberfest will take place on Saturday, Oct 21, from 12-4 p.m. Vendors will have food available for purchase and One Way Brewing and Brew Practitioners will be there selling beer.
The event is designed to be family-friendly, with pumpkin decorating, cornhole and nature trail hikes featuring prizes. There will also be a bounce house for children and Music Together will provide entertainment.
“It should be a fun day for families,” Prather said.
There is no rain date if the event is canceled due to inclement weather.
“Last year, we lucked out,” Prather said of the weather. “We had about 600 people. We ran out of beer. People just driving by saw the bounce house and stopped.”
She continued, “It’s a great piece of property and the feedback last year was, ‘We didn’t even know this was here.’”
Town Manager Tom Christensen called the property “spectacular” and “an ideal spot to do something for the community.”
In 2011, after East Longmeadow purchased the land, a study was conducted by the town and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission to explore the ways the site might be used. There are about 30 acres of developable land. The rest are wetlands and conservation areas that can be used for passive recreation, such as hiking or snowshoeing. The initial study suggested the development of a baseball diamond and two or three full-size multi-use fields at the front of Brown Farm, near the existing community gardens.
“We need fields. We need different opportunities. We have the land, we just need the funding and the will,” Prather said.
Christensen said the town was “checking the safety of the stable portion of the barn” to house the ice rink “so there’s some shelter from the elements.” Prather said it would eliminate the need to plow snow off the rink and keep it out of direct sun, which should keep the surface from melting.
That said, Christensen acknowledged, “We don’t necessarily have a plan, yet.” He added that development of the property would be added to the potential list of capital projects for fiscal year 2025.