Point Pleasant Beach Says “NEIN” To Oktoberfest

A back-and-forth battle is being waged between township officials in Point Pleasant Beach and the local Elks.

After PPB Mayor Stephen Reid denied the Elks a permit for their annual Oktoberfest, after their proposed date conflicted with the yearly Festival of the Sea.

Reid said holding two massive events would spread the town's police department too thin, and would be too much for the town to handle. The Elks have disputed that, saying they were prepared to pay the borough for the extra security.

The Elks are especially mad because they've held their Oktoberfest for twenty years, and it is one of the organization's strongest fundraisers.

The township says they aren't looking to cancel Oktoberfest, and are prepared to give the Elks a different date. The next Town Council meeting happens Tuesday, June 19th.

I've never been to an Elks Oktoberfest, but I have been to the Festival of the Sea a few times, both working with the Hawk and just as a visitor. I understand the town's concern, because the streets are PACKED for the Festival of the Sea, and adding a whole other crowd of drunken revelers could easily turn into a problem.

Still, this whole thing seems odd because if the town just told the Elks to choose a different date, there would be no fight. The Elks claim the local Chamber of Commerce has been trying to shut down their event for a decade, so maybe there is more behind-the-scenes bureaucratic stuff going on.

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