Drinking, dunking and dancing at Oktoberfest

Deadwood street celebration includes beer-barrel events, stein skills

By Kevin Woster, Journal staff | Sunday, October 05, 2008

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DEADWOOD -- Never look at your beer.

That was sage advice to contestants in the beer stein races Saturday at Oktoberfest Deadwood Style.

Also, wear an old T-shirt and jeans, just in case.

Casual attire came in handy for many contestants -- and a few spectators -- as stein racers at all levels of skill and sobriety weaved through a 100-foot-long string of traffic cones with a tray loaded with five glasses of beer. Those who made it to the other end handed off to a partner who rushed back to the finish.

At least, that was the plan.

Most got at least a bit wet. Some got drenched. Marketing specialist Karmin Patterson of Lead ended up among the latter, even though she sped through all but about five feet of the course with the smooth precision of an experienced stein handler.

That's when the wheels came off, and she doused herself with the brewskies.

"You looked at the tray," an exasperated supporter said.

"I guess I did," Patterson admitted.

Moments later, Lynn Milos of Deadwood just barely cleared the finish line before taking a very slight shower, and repeated the mantra: "No, don't look at the tray."

The good news was, it was a pretty nice October afternoon for a drink, or a dunking. And upward of 2,000 people were strolling the streets of Deadwood to enjoy it.

With a string of events that began with a brat giveaway, moved appropriately to a wiener-dog race and culminated in an evening polka fest and wife-carrying contest, people had much to see and giggle at. And there were enough breaks in the action for other diversions.

"It's really set up well because there's a little break between the wiener-dog races and the beer-barrel games," Deadwood Economic Development Corporation director Chuck Turbiville said. "It gives people a chance to grab a little lunch, do some shopping and play a hand of blackjack."

Along with the stein races, the beer barrel games included an actual beer barrel race. One member of each two-person team rolled a beer barrel through the same winding course of cones, pounded nails into a block of wood and gave up the barrel to a partner for the roll back.

Kenan Sarrat of Lead took the barrel from partner George Milos -- Lynn's husband, and the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Bureau director -- and rolled on through the course to take the lead.

"Low and fast," the 27-year-old Wharf Mining Co. employee said when asked for his racing secret.

It didn't hurt to be young and sober, either.

"Yeah," he said. "I think that helped."

Contact Kevin Woster at 394-8413 or kevin.woster@rapidcityjournal.com