Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians

Special to Valley News

The Event Center at Soboba Casino Resort was transformed into a German destination as it hosted its third year of Oktoberfest, a very social event that has become extremely popular with guests. With nearly 20 sweet and savory food stations, a German polka band, games and more than a dozen varieties of beers, of course, there was something for everyone at the Oct. 5 event.

The German desserts were very popular as were the pretzels, bratwurst and pork knuckles. There was a very diverse menu of German food offerings typically not served at Soboba Casino Resort so even regulars such as Kim Corey enjoyed the opportunity to try some new things.

“I come to Soboba all the time, but I’ve never been to this event,” said Corey of Ontario, who was there celebrating with her son as an early birthday gift to him. Joseph, who lives in San Bernardino, said he found the food he had tried so far to be pretty authentic. “The pork knuckles, currywurst and the half chicken (Wiesn-Hendl, which is a beer-marinated half roasted chicken) were really good; they hit all the bases on food,” he said.

More commonly known items, such as frankfurters, bratwurst, sauerbraten, knackwurst and oversized soft pretzels with dipping sauces were very popular purchases. Also available were Lebkuchenhertz (gingerbread hearts), Kirschmichel (cherry bread pudding with vanilla sauce), jagerschnitzel (roast pork in mushroom gravy) and other traditional German dishes.

“The culinary team loves this event because they get to flex their culinary expertise and produce amazing food offerings that are not on our usual menus,” SCR Chief Marketing Officer Martin Moore said.

Ticket holders were given a souvenir glass beer stein, three $5 tickets to purchase food or beverages, a voucher for $5 in free slot play to use at the casino and a raffle ticket for some exciting prizes offered at the end of the 4-9 p.m. celebration.

“Along with the great food and awesome beers offered, everyone had a great time with the Bavarian Beergarden Band and their sing-alongs and polkas,” Moore said. “They put on a great show, and everyone loves their act. The Chicken Dance is always a crowd favorite.”

Headed by Joe Dyke, the band facilitated a felt hat game for kids and a stein holding contest for adults, along with other entertaining, friendly competitions throughout the evening. Kids were able to take handfuls of candy from a large bag after winning their round of the game that was held on the large dance floor in front of the stage. Other games offered fabulous prizes courtesy of the Soboba Casino Resort.

Staff, who greeted guests at the entrance and mingled with them throughout the venue, were dressed appropriately in Dirndl dresses and Lederhosen. Those who assisted at some of the beer and food stations were dressed more casually with T-shirts emblazoned with I love Oktoberfest on the back. A large pretzel design served as a heart shape to represent the word love.

Some of the attendees were also dressed in traditional German Bavarian attire. Adrian and Ana Jacquez and longtime friends Greg Lopez and Elizabeth Torres came from Perris to enjoy the event. All but Elizabeth had recently returned from an 8-day trip to Munich where they attended the German city’s 189th Oktoberfest. Ana said they also did some sightseeing while in Europe and were attending the Soboba event in celebration of Greg’s birthday.

Adrian said while the beers that were available tasted good, they suggested the inclusion of German beers at the next event. Adrian cited Pauliner and Hofbräuhaus Anno Múnchen beers as being the best they have ever tasted.

“The entire staff at Soboba Casino Resort contributes in a big way to making this event so special for our guests,” Moore said. “Everyone from Food & Beverage, Banquets, Facilities, Housekeeping, Security, Marketing, Hotel to our teams out on the casino floor in Slots and Table Games taking care of the guests when they need to have even more fun in the casino. It is a huge team effort from each and every team member at Soboba Casino Resort.”

Vendors poured 10- or 20-ounce servings of beer and shared the highlights of their offerings. Matt Mertz with Firestone Walker Brewing Company in Paso Robles shared the microbrewery’s 805, which is a blonde ale and Mexican lager blend, Mind Haze IPA and Cali Squeeze, a citrus wheat ale, that comes in blood orange, tangerine and lime flavors.

“We have events at our location, but this is my first (outside) event with the company and it’s been great here,” Mertz said. “I like telling people about our brand. We sponsor surfers, skateboarders and motorcyclists.”

Chris Grimes, marketing manager for Lagunitas, said the brewing company is known for having the No. 1 IPA in the country. Located in Northern California and well known since 1993, representatives were serving its flagship IPA, Beast of Both Worlds IPA and Island Beats IPA. Like the other beer stations, customized flags, drink koozies and bottle/can openers were available as takeaways for all visitors. There was also a corner of the room set aside for the purchase of wines and cordials for those that wanted something other than beer.

Moore said staff start planning for the next annual event immediately following the conclusion of the current one. “We discuss what went well, what we could do to make the event better, what food and beverage items were the most popular and any notable guest comments,” he said. “We address any issues or problems that might have come up and how to resolve them. We continue to meet throughout the year to ensure we are not missing any key items. We discuss menus and various vendors we want to reach out to. It is a very lengthy and detailed process.”

SCR General Manager Jason Cozart said, “Oktoberfest here at Soboba Casino Resort isn’t just an event that our guests look forward to every year, but it’s something our staff enjoys putting on and has a lot of fun with. In my opinion, you can’t go wrong when you combine beer, brats, and slots!”