By Paige Gurgainers

The 2nd Annual Oktoberfest drew a crowd to downtown Minden Saturday afternoon for those not only looking for a reason to celebrate the city’s German heritage, but for those looking to participate in an event benefiting a great cause.  

A group of young adults put their heads together to bring an event to Minden that provided free entertainment to the public by way of musical guests, cornhole tournament, food, beverages and a big screen to watch the LSU Tigers beat Ole Miss in overtime. But the most important aspect of Oktoberfest was fellowship and raising money for the Joe LeBlanc Food Pantry in memory of Erica Boulas.   

“Erica was one of the most generous people I have ever met,” said Director of Joe LeBlanc Jessica Lewis. “This year anything that we raise or collect will go toward our Feed a Family program to put meals on tables for Minden families.” 

According to Lewis, with last year’s donation made by the inaugural Oktoberfest, the food pantry was able to provide 20 families with meals for Thanksgiving.  

Erica was the sister of event organizers Chase and Ethan Spillers, both of whom were “pleasantly surprised” by the turnout of this year’s Oktoberfest. 

“We took a chance and were bolstered by numerous sponsors and the people came in droves,” said Chase. “The crowd doubled from last year and enjoyed themselves. All I can say is, Oktoberfest is sticking around and we’re growing. We can’t wait to see you next year.”