Oktoberfest at the Pinnacle
Miss Terry Diner
To the delight of over 500 guests, the Pinnacle Grand Resort and Spa at NaJomtien celebrated the famous Bavarian custom known as Oktoberfest last week. Ingo Rauber, the Pinnacle Resort's GM fully realized that this was November, and not October, but there was a precedent for holding the event in the ‘wrong' month, as it has also been previously held in September in Munich , due apparently to the more clement weather at that time. And down in Jomtien, the guests at the Pinnacle's Oktoberfest could not have asked for better November weather this year, cool and a mild breeze, as opposed to some previous October years when gales were experienced and the beer tent all but ended up in the swimming pool.
The Alphorn is always a highlight at any Oktoberfest party.
Novoberfest this year also featured the German band the Original Williams MusiKanten featuring plenty of Oom-pah-pah, accordions, brass instruments and an alphorn, and even more audience participation, with 500 guests singing in unison and swaying with the music. Munich would have been proud of them all!
The celebration was fuelled by many wines, but most of the revelers stuck with beer (German of course) with several hogsheads of Erdinger Weissbier and Warsteiner Pilsener being consumed, washing down the BBQ buffet items, including Nuremberger sausages, suckling pig on the spit and roasted pork knuckles. Perhaps it was just coincidence that the Casa Pascal restaurant was one of the sponsors of the evening, with Kim and Pascal Schnyder and
Dr. Schnyder in attendance.
The evening was also used by the Pinnacle Grand to raise funds for the Youth Leadership Development Foundation, with some excellent items being auctioned by Pattaya's newest author Dr. Iain Corness, including flights with Lufthansa to Asian and European destinations, some holidays in Pinnacle Resorts and fine dining meals at Casa Pascal. The final item was a solid gold specially minted 100 euro coin, complete with its certificate of authentication. The bidding was fast and furious for this item, eventually going to one lucky collector for B. 14,000. The grand total raised was B. 109,000 to be used for furthering the education of some local school children. One of the other sponsors was LTU, the German Airline who presented a flight to Europe , used as a lucky draw.
In Europe , at the original Oktoberfests, it is well known that there are people who overestimate their ability to handle large amounts of alcohol, with many falling down inebriated (very easy to do with heady German beer and large steins), and these especially drunk patrons are known as “Bierleichen” (German for “beercorpses”). They are then brought by staff to a medical tent where drunks as well as sick people are treated. Fortunately this was not necessary at this Novoberfest! Many revelers continued well into the late evening, some nibbling on the gingerbread hearts decorated with icing saying “I love you”. A few were exchanged during the festivities.
No matter which month Oktoberfest is held in, the one at the Pinnacle Grand at Jomtien was one of the most enjoyable. The Pattaya Mail TV's Mike Franklin recorded it for posterity and it can be viewed through most local cable TV operators.
The audience participation, with 500 guests singing in unison, would have
made Munich proud.
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PThe Original Williams MusiKanten features plenty of Oom-pah-pah.
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Dr. Iain Corness and Ingo Rauber, GM of Pinnacle Grand Jomtien Resort & Spa, are all smiles at the Oktoberfestivities.
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Hilda Nordlander (2nd left) receives the round trip Bangkok-Germany
airline tickets she won from LTU.
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Oktoberfest is fun no matter where you celebrate it.
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These celebrants are certainly dressed for the occasion.
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Markus Moschner, LTU regional manager Asia (back center) with staff and Sue are geared up for Oktoberfest.
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