Saturday, October 7, 2017
Water Street, Downtown Gardiner, Maine
I lived in Gardiner for a decade, but moved back to Brunswick last summer to be closer to work. I am always glad to spend the day in my former town at one of my favorite events, our eighth annual Swine & Stein Oktoberfest. Sponsored by the dedicated folks at Gardiner Main Street, it combines Maine beer and pork, games, and live music from Maine artists. There’s even more fun to be had at Swine & Stein, though, and it’s truly family friendly. There’s a hilarious beard and mustache competition, a frozen t-shirt contest, (impressively partially blindfolded) butchering demonstrations led by Leon from Emery’s Meat and Produce), a rock-paper-scissors competition, giant Jenga, and even a chicken fling.
I was thrilled to be asked back as a local judge for the fourth annual Swine & Stein Beard and Mustache Competition, sponsored by Monkitree. We love hosting the guys from the Maine Facial Hair Club, and they were out in full force. Gardiner Main Street’s Executive Director, Patrick Wright, emceed the entire day and did a fabulous job.
We were treated to Maine musical acts on the main stage all day—Oktoberfest German Band, Spare Parts Band, Duquette, The Jason Spooner Band, and OC and the Offbeats. I had to take off early in OC and the Offbeats’ set to make it to school to chaperone the Homecoming dance (quite a Saturday, eh?), but they were really fun and I’d like to see them invited back for an earlier set.
The VIP tent hosted by Craft Beer Cellar was steadily busy all day. The 6th Annual Rock-Paper-Scissors Competition was fiercely competitive. The finalists were a couple, and I hope they’re okay since only one of them could win. The chicken fling competition was hilarious, as always, and Amy and Steve won a second year in a row! I love the fire that folks bring to these friendly competitions.
Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make Swine & Stein a great day! Gardiner Main Street and all of the many, many volunteers I saw in bright orange t-shirts—you rock! See you next year! I posted lots more photos below, so please check them out. If you’d like to use one somehow, please give photo credit to whatbreesees.com. Thank you!
xo,
bree
whatbreesees 